Crossed Paths: A Time of Peace
by jon3s115
Summary: Earth has been saved from Wolf's clutches by the lone human member of Star Fox, Kevin Michelson. After a year of fighting and pain, the team can finally relax. Kevin can finally rest the horrid memories of the war and finally live normally on Corneria. What does he plan on doing? How will he do on Corneria? Sequel to the Crossed Paths Trilogy.
1. Chapter 1

_Welcome back everyone. I have thought over some things to put in this book; I think that you're really going to enjoy it. So…_

_On with the NEW book…_

**Chapter 1: A New Life**

I opened my eyes to find complete darkness waiting. I tried to look around and find some sort of light source, but was unsuccessful. Seeing that I could see at all, I started to feel around; I realized that I was sitting on a cold and smooth surface, I then slowly stood up. As I stood up, a small light emitted from the distance. It neared me until the entire area around me was lit up. I looked around and found that I was in a white room with no walls in sight, only the floor which was a slightly grayish color. I continued looking around until an image started to replace the emptiness; it looked like waves were taking over my area. As the entire room distorted, vibrant and colorful scenery was created. I looked around and saw that I was placed right into it. Grass was now under my feet, and a blue sky was above me. Wind blew across the grass, making it sway gently. I was also wearing a very lose gray robe that swayed with the wind. I looked off into the distance and saw that the grassland was endless. I then turned around and saw a surprising sight: a distorted figure standing some distance away from me.

"Hey!" I yelled as I raised my hand. I looked at it and saw that it was mechanical. At the sight, I pulled my hand away. I then slowly pulled it back out from my clothing and remember what had happened: Wolf.

Realizing this, I looked back at the figure and saw it walking towards me; it was transparent and had a distorted look to it. As it neared me, color and shape started to take it.

"Hello?" I asked in a normal tone.

The figure then took the shape of a woman. Colors started to take it as well: blues and whites were the majority along with some red and yellow. When the colors settled in, the figure slowly cleared out. It was Krystal.

"Krys?" I asked.

She smiled and nodded, "I see that you're still fast asleep."

I was a bit confused, "How so?"

She smiled again, "Well, I meant to only scan your mind. But when I did so, I found that you were still in deep sleep."

"So you entered my dream?" I asked.

She nodded, "I'm actually asleep on the opposite bed from you right now."

I nodded, "Interesting, so what are you here for?" I asked.

She put her hands together, "I am here to help."

I shook my head in confusion, "Help? Am I in a coma?"

She chuckled, "No, of course not."

I sighed in relief; thank god that wasn't the case. "So what kind of help are you offering?"

She tilted her head, "Well, I was thinking of starting the meditation. You're already in a state of dormancy, so it will work perfectly."

"Okay…" I said, "…so how do we start?"

Krystal then sat down with her legs crossed, "Like always"

I then did as she said and sat down in the grass; legs crossed and back straight.

"Oh, and nice scenery." She said.

I looked around, "What… I made this?"

She nodded, "You're not in a lucid state, just a dormant. You don't control your brain. I sense peace circulating around you, so this was the outcome."

I looked around once more, "Huh…" I looked back at Krystal, who had her eyes closed.

"Let's begin." She said.

I closed my eyes and relaxed.

"I will now take control of your mind, just as before." She said.

I nodded.

"Stay relaxed and don't feel alarmed when you feel something assume control." She explained.

I nodded once more. At that, I immediately felt a strange force overcome my mind. I felt it crawl around until I finally felt it vanish. I opened my eyes and saw that Krystal and I were in darkness once more.

"Wait, why can I still talk on command?" I asked.

Krystal toke a deep breath, "I only assumed control of your thoughts and emotions. You still have your control over your brain."

I nodded and closed my eyes once more. After a minute of silence, she spoke.

"I think that starting here is good." She said, "Open your eyes, but don't be scared of what you see."

I opened them, and saw an unspeakable sight. I was flying along with Krystal. The two of us were levitating among the clouds.

"Watch carefully." She said, "Just pay attention to the scene and do not hide your emotions. I will use them to assist." She explained.

I nodded, "I'll try"

I looked over at her. Hers eyes were closed and she appeared to be in deep thought. "Get ready…" She said softly.

Suddenly, an Arwing passed right by me. I was incredibly startled; my heart rate shot up at the sudden event. As I looked out to the Arwing, two jets followed after. Behind the jets were three Venomian Class fighters.

"Oh no" I immediately had a sick feeling emerge inside of me. She brought me back to… this.

I watched as explosions were emitting from the area they were in. The fighters were getting further and further away from us.

"We have to follow after them." Krystal said. Suddenly, the two of us were thrust over to the fighters; I felt nothing; no force or sudden movements. In only a second, we were panning alongside the fighters.

I looked at the Arwing and was stunned at the sight; it was me.

"Don't hide your emotions." She said.

I watched as one of the jets pulled up and raced in front of the enemy fighters, leaving the last jet and Arwing alone. I remembered the entire event and played it back in my head. Very faintly, I could hear the pilots.

"Blaze, what the hell are you doing?!" I heard a pilot yell.

I then heard a response, "I can stall them. Get out of here!"

"NO, I FORBID YOU FROM DOING SO. DO YOU HEAR ME? THAT'S AN ORDER!" The other pilot yelled.

I watch as the enemy pilots fired upon Blaze. I was filled with shamefulness and disgrace; I was responsible for this.

"GET OUT OF HERE!" Blaze yelled back.

I lowered my head, "…don't go…" I whispered, "Why the fuck did I listen?" I started to tear up.

I then hear a faint explosion along with a painful yell. I looked up and saw jet debris fall out of the sky.

"No…" I said quietly.

The scene faded and we were back on the grassland. I fell to my knees and slammed the ground with my mechanical hand.

"Why the fuck did I leave!?" I yelled in my shaky voice. I growled and slammed the ground once more. After that, I lost it and fell to the ground lying down, "…he didn't have to die." I softly said.

All my emotions were filled up inside of me. I was about to let them lose, when I suddenly felt them melt away in an instant. I realized this and quickly looked up at Krystal.

"All done…" she said with a slight smile.

I quickly got back up on my feet. I was in shock, "How did you…"

"I took them away." She said, "I controlled your thoughts and emotions; I could have done anything with them."

I was still in shock.

"The only down to helping you, is that you must relive these so that I can get rid of them." She explained, "Do you still want to do so? I understand if you feel that you can't take the pain."

I quickly came up with my answer: yes.

I shook my head, "No…no… its fine. I can do this; these memories and feelings have to go." I looked back up at her.

She smiled at me, "Good" she then looked around the area, "That's enough for now. When I leave, you should wake up as well." She said.

I nodded and watched as her image dissipated and completely vanished. When she did, the grassland instantly disappeared and was replaced by darkness. The darkness then faded into a dim light. I opened my eyes and found myself lying in the same bed that I had been in since the surgery.

Krystal was by the bed side, "See?"

I smiled at her words, "Thanks" I then sat up and leaned over to her. I gave her a hug.

"You're welcome" She replied softly.

MAM then entered the room. He walked to the free side of the bed and examined my wounds. He was scanning them with his optical scanner.

"Your facial injury is doing quite well." MAM stated, "Your side wound is also doing well."

I smiled, "That's great."

MAM replied, "Indeed. Now it is time to start your P.T."

I sat up straight slowly and removed the white blanket that was on me. Once I did, I looked at the robotic limb that was now my right leg. I stared at it for a minute until I finally threw my legs over the side of the bed. MAM had his hand out just in case I fell over.

"I got this" I said. I then slowly pushed off from the bed and into a standing position. I kept my grip on the bed until I finally let go and stood straight. To my surprise, it felt rather normal. I didn't have a balance issue nor did I feel like nothing was there; I felt the leg entirely.

"This isn't so bad." I said. Krystal smiled at me.

MAM nodded, "It may feel normal just to stand, but the trick is to walk."

I was a bit discouraged, "Walking is going to be harder?"

MAM nodded again, "Since you have lost your leg, your brain must re calibrate to this limb. It will take a short time for it to move like a real leg, but it will take time getting used to it."

I nodded, "Okay"

MAM looked at the leg, "Try moving it."

I looked down as well and slowly tried to move the leg. It was incredibly difficult, as if I was directing the signals right to it all on my own. After a few seconds, I moved the limb a bit forward. After another few seconds, I had it moving with little struggle. After a few minutes, the leg was moving just as a real one.

"Very good" MAM stated, "Next…" MAM turned around and walked to the door, "…try walking to me. Krystal, do you mind standing next to him so that he does not fall?"

Krystal nodded and walked over to my side. "Ready?" She asked.

I nodded and put the robotic leg out first. I planted it on the ground and then shifted my weight to it. I raised my real leg up and slowly moved it forward. About half way through this, I stumbled slightly. Krystal caught me and got me back up on my feet.

"It's okay; just keep trying as if you were walking." She said.

I nodded, "That's what I'm doing, it's just balance on this leg is so odd."

I put my right leg back out and tried once more. Once it was planted on the ground, I moved my left leg all the way in front. I shifted my weight back to the left and moved the right forward with ease. I continued doing this until I was walking slightly normal. After a minute of walking, I reached MAM.

"Excellent" MAM said. He walked back to the other end of the room, "Now walk to me with no assistance."

I swallowed deeply and looked over at Krystal.

"Don't worry, you'll get it." She assured me.

Just then, Fox, Slippy, and Falco all entered the room. I sidestepped a little to get out of their way.

"Just in time" I said.

Falco looked at me leg, "For?"

Slippy then kneeled down and examined the leg as well, "Testing it?" he asked.

"Yeah, I have to get used to walking." I replied, "A bit heavy"

Fox nodded, "How does it feel?"

I didn't really know how to answer to that. I shrugged at his question, "I can feel it like a real leg, move it like a real leg, but can't really walk with it."

Falco continued looking at the limb, "Why?"

I shook my head slowly, "Because, I have to be able to send the signals and stuff to it like a real leg; it's new so the brain isn't used to it."

Falco just nodded, "Oh"

I looked back at MAM. He extended his hand out and spoke, "Try to reach my hand."

I took in what Krystal told me; just walk like it was normal. Thinking of this, I thought of force. I closed my eyes and focused greatly on walking like before. Once I was focused, I started to walk. I was actually doing pretty well. I was moving at normal walking speed.

"Whoa" I heard Fox say.

"Damn" Falco commented.

About two seconds through, I felt my leg buckle. I fell to the ground but was able to catch myself. I pushed up off of the ground and sat up.

"Damn, so close" I said as I looked at MAM. He walked over to me and examined the leg. MAM was messing around with some circuits and even the artificial tendon.

He got up and looked down at me, "Just an issue with the electric system. The leg uses a type of rubber-like substance that contracts and retracts with electric pulses. The brain sends these to the leg, where an amplifier makes it slightly bigger to move the leg. The substance is what moves the rest of the leg."

Krystal walked over to me and held her hand out to me, "Let me help you."

I shook my head, "No, I want to try by myself."

I then curled my right leg with ease and put my hands behind me. I leaned forward and pushed off the ground with my leg. I was standing perfectly fine and got up with no problems.

Slippy examined the leg while I did so, "Not bad" he commented.

I sighed. This leg was going to take a lot of time to really use. I have trouble walking with this thing; I assume running is completely out of the question.

MAM spoke, "You are free to leave the Med Bay at will, but I advise that you take it slow for now."

I nodded, "I'll just practice in here until I get the whole thing right."

Falco and Slippy then left the room. Krystal, Fox, MAM, and I were left.

"Oh, Kevin…" Fox suddenly said, "While I was speaking with General Pepper, I received a call from the President."

I was shocked, "How?"

He shrugged, "I'm not sure, but he wanted to speak with you."

I nodded slowly, "Okay then" I looked down at my leg, "Speaking of Earth, did Pepper say anything about assistance?"

Fox shook his head, "No, only about our credits."

I nodded, "Ah, well, you mind contacting him and having a construction crew sent to Earth? They'll never recover from something like that without help."

Fox nodded, "Pepper would easily say yes." He then typed a few things on his communicator, "Peppy, contact Pepper and request for a construction crew to be sent to Earth."

Peppy replied, "Was earth hit that bad?"

Fox nodded, "Yeah, destruction is pretty bad down there. They may not recover if we don't help them."

Peppy replied, "Don't worry, Pepper would know better."

Fox smiled, "Great, Fox out." He then looked up at me, "Request sent"

I smiled, "Thanks"

Fox then left the room.

"I could sense that you forced it." Krystal suddenly said.

I looked over at her, "You said walk like normal. I had to concentrate if I was going to do it."

She nodded, "I did say that."

I then slowly walked over to the bed and sat back down. Once I was comfortable, I looked at Krystal.

"So where are we headed right now?" I asked.

She looked out the window, "We're heading back to Corneria right now. Once we get there, Pepper should be waiting for us."

"Is he always like that?" I asked.

She shrugged, "Depending on how serious the mission is." She paused, "The Aparoid invasion was pretty bad."

I nodded, "Yeah, I know practically all the details."

She looked at me funny but then stopped and shook her head.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing, I just forgot about the whole reality thing." She replied.

I chuckled, "You forgot that our realities were tied together."

She nodded.

I yawned, "I'm tired as hell."

Krystal then got up, "I'll leave you to finish your rest." She smiled.

I lied back down in the bed and slowly closed my eyes, letting them rest. After a while, I slipped back into my sleep and began to dream again.

To Be Continued… 

_Welcome to book X! Sorry if this chapter was a bit choppy, it is the first one and I had a really hard time with writers block. I promise the next chapter to be longer and better. _

_For those that are starting to read this book (as in just this one) I advise you read the trilogy first; that way you know the situation that the team is in, and also why "Kevin" has robotic limbs. _

_Anyway, please review and tell me what you think so far. Also tell me what you thought of the trilogy; I really want to know what you all felt about it (I didn't get reviews for chapter 12 or 13). _

_Until next time…_


	2. Chapter 2: Returning Home

_Welcome to chapter 2. I promise this one to be longer, more detailed, and less choppy. If you haven't checked the website lately, I posted that I would skip the recovery since it caused a lot of trouble for me writing it. For this chapter, I noticed something that helps you feel the scene. While I read over it, I listened to a song; the tone of it threw me into this world, and I felt everything. I advise that you listen to Different Stars by Trespassers William while you read the beginning. If you have Spotify, look it up there, or open a new tab and listen to it on Youtube while you read. So, let's get going. _

_On with the chapter…_

**Chapter 2: Returning Home **

_ As the days passed by, Kevin recovered from his side and facial injury. With the help of MAM and Krystal, he was also able to use his robotic leg with ease. The only thing that Kevin must now do… is relax, let the pain melt, and live a normal life once more. _

The Day of the Arrival

I slowly awoke to the light of a sun shining through the large space window in my room. I opened my eyes entirely and saw that the room had an orange color to it from the sun. I slowly got up and sat on the edge of the bed. I looked up at the light and shielded my eyes slightly. Once I shook some of the sleep off, I slowly stood up and walked over to the ceiling-to-floor window. Next to it was a small touch panel; I entered a command that dimmed the window and light. The special glass was now darker and blocked some of the light. I turned around and stretched; I couldn't believe that I finally had some decent rest. After I finished that, I walked over to the bathroom; when I entered, the lights turned on. On the wall was another touch panel, but with a clock on it as well.

"10:00 A.M Corneria Standards" the clock read.

I saw the time and entered a command on the panel; the water in the shower was activated and set to my precise temperature. After the shower was on, I looked at myself in the mirror; I was wearing my grey silk night shirt and pants. My face was healing a bit more; a slight scar ran from my forehead, around my left eye, and down my left cheek. After a minute of nothing, the computer spoke.

"Water is set to custom temperature" the computer stated.

I then undressed myself and stepped into the shower. The water felt nice on my skin; it was the first decent one I could take in a while. I let the warm and soothing water run onto my skin for a while until I grabbed the soap. I covered my body with it and rinsed it off. I grabbed it once more and put it in my hair, scrubbing hard to really clean it. Once I was through, I rinsed it as well and stepped out of the shower. I entered the same command on the panel and turned the shower off. The panel returned to the home screen, where it controlled the rest of the functions. I tapped the cabinet command and opened the in-wall cabinet that was next to the panel; inside were towels. I grabbed one and dried myself off; when I finished, I wrapped it around my waist and walked out into my room. It was colder in the room than it was in the bathroom.

I took a deep breath, "Much better" I quietly said to myself.

I walked over to the closet and pressed the open button on the touch pad. The large door then slid open and revealed not only my clothing, but also my suit of armor. The suit was placed inside of a glass case and was standing up; on either side were my clothes hanging. I slowly raised my hand and touched the glass; I looked at the left hand area; the glove was missing. I then looked at the helmet; the visor was missing, and a large, deep scratch ran from the top left to the bottom. I then looked at my left hand, the grey robotic limb that was now a part of me. I then looked at the right leg; nothing was wrong with it except for a few dents and some burn marks. Next to the suit inside of the glass was my new blaster; the odd shaped D-40 pistol with a curved bayonet attached to it.

I sighed softly as memories started to fill my head. The hit to my face that shattered the visor, the slash to my face that broke the helmet, the scratch to my face, my shattered hand all filled my head. I pushed the memories away and looked down at my right leg; the large robotic limb that caused me trouble at first. I had no problem now, but it still bothered me.

I smiled at this; it wasn't entirely bad that I had lost my two limbs. The good side to this was that I was now a cyborg. On top of that, I had increased strength in my leg; that'll come in handy for fighting. The only down side was the fact that I lost my hand and leg.

"We're free to choose our path, but we cannot choose the consequences that come with it." I said to myself quietly. That quote had been rumbling in my head for a while; the one by Sean Covey. He wrote a book that I read in my class. I couldn't remember exactly what it was called, but it had something to do with life choices and how to deal with them.

After my mind filled with emptiness, I grabbed a black V-Neck shirt and dark blue jeans. I then grabbed some boxers and socks. I took the clothes and laid them on my bed. I put the boxers and socks on, and then I put the jeans on. They were a bit tighter than I remember, but they looked fine. Thankfully, my robotic leg was the same size as my real leg, so the clothes fit with no problem. Once they were on, I put the black shirt on; it was thin and had a V-Neck. I got comfortable in them and walked back over to the closet. I moved the shirts around and found my black leather jacket hanging. I grabbed it and slipped it on over me. It felt just as usual; perfect fitting and comfortable. The clock on the closet panel read '11:00 A.M'.

"I should contact Fox" I said to myself quietly.

I walked to the side of my bed and to my nightstand. Laying on the stand was my communicator; I grabbed it and slipped it onto my right wrist. Once it was in place, I called Fox.

"Fox here" he replied as his image appeared.

I sat down on the bed, "So what's today's plan?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Not really sure, but we're close to Corneria."

I looked over to my window; the sun was still shining through: Solar.

"Why don't you head on up to the bridge and we'll discuss it." He then said.

I liked the idea, "Sure, I'll be up in a minute." I looked back at the window and at Solar, "Kevin out".

I stood up and walked over to the window. The tinted glass allowed me to look at Solar straight on with no problem. I placed my left hand on the glass and felt the warmth that the star was emitting. I felt peace rush through my body as it was finally capable of doing so. I was happy that the war was over, and I was happy that I was done with all of it.

"These are true friends" I quietly said, "Better than what I had on Earth."

I put my hand back to my side and walked towards the door. I pressed the button next to it and had the door slide open. I walked out and into the long hallway. I looked down both ways; to the right were the other rooms, and to the left was the elevator that led to the bridge. I headed for the elevator and called it down. I stood there in silence as I waited for the doors to open. After a few seconds passed, I heard a door slide open from behind me. I looked back and saw Falco emerge from his room dressed in black jeans, a white shirt, and a black jacket. Just then, the elevator door slid open. I turned back and entered the small room.

"You mind holding that for me?" Falco said as he started to walk a bit faster.

I smiled, "Nah you can wait"

He chuckled, "Very funny" He then entered the small room with me.

"Bridge" I said aloud. The elevator started to move upwards.

Falco looked over at me, "So how's the leg?"

I lifted my right leg up a little and moved it around, "Fine, as if it was real."

He nodded, "What about the hand?"

I lifted my left hand and moved it around as well, "Same thing"

Falco nodded once more, "How are you… you know… overall."

I shrugged, "I'm fine now, but I'll be better once I get these memories out of me."

Falco looked a bit confused, "Out?"

I nodded, "Krystal is helping me remove the ones that are implanted on my brain. She already helped me with a few, but some of them she said will only be lowered, not removed."

Falco nodded, "So you'll be stuck with them?"

I sighed, "Yeah, but they'll be distant; far enough to the point where I can hardly recall them."

The door then suddenly slid open as the elevator stopped moving. On the other side was the bridge of the Great Fox. Fox was sitting at his spot in the center, while Peppy was on the lower level with ROB. Falco and I then walked in and to our stations. Mine was to the right of Fox.

"We should be getting a good signal from Corneria. Computers should work fine right now." Fox said as he saw Falco and I sit down.

"Cool" I replied, "It'd be nice to see what's happening down on the surface."

Fox shook his head, "Nothing really happened while we were gone." He said, "The most interesting was General Pepper sending the crew of workers to Earth."

"Ah" I replied, "Did it say how many he sent?" I asked.

Fox nodded, "He sent about 10,000 workers from multiple different construction companies. All of the companies are top-of-the-line and highly experienced."

I was glad to hear this; "Thank god" I released a sigh of relief.

I turned back around and looked at the holo screen that was in front of me. On the screen was the Star Fox logo. I logged into it and entered the web browser. It took me to the main news page for Corneria. The page contained various stories; Star Fox returning, General Pepper sending the work force, General Pepper signing off on a reform that lead to better pay for workers, etc.

"You're right" I said, "Not much interesting happened."

Fox chuckled, "What I tell you?"

I turned my attention back to the screen. A few more stories took the place of the previous. The new ones had to do with celebrities. It's funny because I know none of them.

Peppy suddenly spoke up, "We're about to enter atmosphere."

I looked towards the large window at the front. A huge blue and green planet was right in front of us. Almost immediately, I thought of Earth and the current state that it's in. I sighed at the sight, "…earth" I quietly said.

Fox turned towards me, "Kevin?" he asked.

I shook out of my trance, "Yeah Fox?

"Can you go and check on Slippy and Krystal?" He asked, "Their communicators are off right now."

I nodded in reply and got up from my seat. I walked over to the elevator and called it. The doors slid open and I entered the small room.

"Living quarters" I said.

The elevator then began its decent to the living quarter level. On the way down, I thought about Earth. Mass destruction basically rigged the planet, along with Anarchy left in its wake. Wolf probably got what he wanted; a destroyed planet. I was not happy about this in any way. I sighed at the thought.

The doors then suddenly slid open. I shook out of my trance once more and entered the long hallway. My first stop was Krystal's room. I neared her door and faced towards it. Before I even knocked, she opened the door.

"Hey Kevin" she said.

She was wearing a light purple shirt and dark blue jeans. To me, she looked stunning; it was the first time I actually saw her in real clothes, besides her flight suit.

"Uh…" I paused, "H-hey…" I stammered slightly, "…Fox said that we should be… docking with the planet in a few minutes."

She nodded, "Okay, I'll head up there right now." She then exited her room and headed for the elevator. I watched as she walked away. Once she was halfway, I turned around and headed for Slippy's room.

As I was walking she spoke out, "Thank you for the kind thoughts."

I was filled with embarrassment when she said that. I felt my cheeks rush with blood and heat up at the words. I even started to sweat a little. I always thought that Krystal was beautiful, but I never thought of asking her anything; we were just friends and that was that. Besides, Fox is the one that deserves her; he's a good man and really does deserve a woman like her. Hell, I was actually willing to help Fox if he needed any.

I reached Slippy's room and knocked several times. He answered quickly. Slippy was already dressed in his yellow flight suit.

"What's up?" He asked.

I looked back down the hall, "Fox said that we are about to dock with Corneria. You should probably head up there."

He nodded, "Okay, I'll head up in a minute." He then closed the door.

"That was pretty sudden of him" I thought. I turned and headed down the hall. Krystal was still waiting for the elevator. Purposely, I started to walk a little slower; I was still pretty embarrassed about it. I continued my walk until the doors opened. Once they did, I started to walk a little faster. I didn't want to wait, so I just decided to go with my gut.

"Hold that elevator" I said loudly.

Krystal smiled and kept the doors opened for me.

"Where's Slippy?" She asked as the doors closed.

I shrugged, "He said he'd be up in a minute."

She nodded, "He's always busy with something."

I chuckled, "Don't you know what it is?" I asked, "He closed the door on me in a hurry."

She laughed, "Yes, it's always about technology. He's really dedicated to his work."

Slippy was a real tech jock. He always would work on something tech related, whether it is his communicator or Arwing or even research that his dad sent him.

"Can't argue with that." I said, "It's because of him that we have all this technology."

Krystal agreed and nodded her head.

We were quiet for a second. I decided to break it.

"Hey, I'm sorry about that." I said.

She looked confused, "What do you mean?"

I lowered my head and scratched the back of my neck, "You know… thoughts."

Krystal chuckled, "Oh don't feel ashamed. I actually thought it was sweet."

I chuckled, "That's a relief." I sighed, "You know Fox liked you a lot, right?"

Krystal chuckled and nodded her head, "Yes, I sensed it when we first met."

I chuckled back, "I think you two are perfect for each other." I chuckled once more.

Krystal looked like she was blushing, but it was hidden by her fur, "You think?" she asked.

I nodded, "Of course; everyone on Earth practically knows. Well, anyone who played."

She laughed, "I still find that really weird."

The elevator doors then suddenly slid open. I looked at Krystal, she nodded to me. The two of us then walked out and headed for our stations; Krystal's was next to mine.

"Good morning, Krystal." Fox said as we sat down.

"Good morning, Fox." Krystal replied.

I sat down and turned my attention to the holo screen. I looked at it and saw a new story pop up. It caught my attention quickly. I read the title; it had some words I rather it not have said.

"Aw crap…" I said quietly. "…are you kidding?"

Fox and Krystal must have both heard me.

"What wrong?" Fox asked.

I moved away from the screen and showed the two the title. They both shrugged.

"So?" Fox said.

I shook my head, "For you it's okay. Me? Not so much."

Krystal was still confused, "Why is this bad?"

Fox then lowered his head, "Oh yeah… I remember now."

I looked back at the screen and read the title once more. That same sick feeling you get when you're nervous overcame me. The title read, "Lylat's Hero's Return from Distant Planet War! Thousands gather to watch the homecoming!" I was incredibly uncomfortable about this. Before, I only received criticism and hate. I feared that it only doubled while we were gone.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine." Fox said, "The most that they'll do is an interview. They always ask simple questions. And if they do hate, you have my permission to kick that persona ass."

I laughed at what Fox had said, "Oh trust me, I'll make sure that person re thinks if they say something like that." I calmed down and spoke again, "I still feel odd about it." The same sick feeling kept coming up in my stomach and only got worse.

Krystal put her hand on my shoulder, "I'll help you during the interview; if they do it, of course."

I nodded and smiled, "Thanks"

Peppy spoke up, "Three minutes until we dock with the base."

I looked out ahead. A large city was now in our view. The sight astounded me; huge buildings, bright holo signs, and the coast line. Corneria was truly a magnificent sight to see.

A few minutes passed when Slippy entered the bridge and sat at his station. He was still dressed in his yellow suit.

"What took you so long?" I heard Falco asked.

"Work" Slippy replied.

Peppy spoke up once more, "You all might as well head to the hangar. We're about done with the docking."

Fox got up from his seat, "You heard him." He stretched "Let's go meet the people."

I took a deep breath and got up from my seat. I was about to walk out in front of all those that criticized me and hated me. Granted, there were a few that didn't care much about my existence, but most of Corneria didn't like the idea.

The five of us walked into the elevator and took it all the way down to the hangar. The doors opened and led us into the lower deck of the hangar. The air lock shield was still in place as we walked towards it.

"You ready?" Fox asked as he looked over at me.

I slowly nodded, "Yeah"

On the other side of the shield was the enormous crowd that gathered. They were cheering loudly as the Great Fox slowly lowered and landed on the docking pad. We waited until Great Fox had stopped moving and the shield lowered. Once it did, the five of us walked down the large ramp that was extended to get us off of the ship. Three men in uniforms approached us about halfway down the ramp; behind them was General Pepper. Once the men reached us, we both stopped. The three men then stood aside a saluted the five of us. We did the same in return. Once that was done, General Pepper came forward.

"It's good to see you all." He said, "Especially you, Kevin."

I nodded, "It's good to be back, sir." I was a bit overwhelmed by the cheering the enormous crowd was emitting; I could hardly hear General over them and the ship engines.

"Fox, when you have a chance, can you meet me in my office? It doesn't have to be today since you just returned, but I'd rather it be soon." General Pepper told Fox.

He nodded in reply, "No problem, I'll see if I can try for today."

General Pepper smiled, "Good to know. Also, the main building here is set for an interview if you'd like." He then turned around and headed off of the ramp with the three other men. A large group of men then went up the ramp and into the hangar; they were there to take the Landmasters and other equipment for maintenance and such. We continued our walk down the large ramp.

I looked ahead and over the fence that kept the people back, next to them was the same building that General Pepper was referring to.

Falco then sighed, "Here come the paparazzi."

I looked to the right and saw a group of people with cameras and microphones walking over to the ship ramp. When we reached the bottom, Fox walked out in front of us and put his hands up. The crowd stopped when they saw this.

"My team and I will gladly answer any questions you have. If you will please move into that large building, we will hold a small interview there." Fox explained to the crowd. Surprisingly, they went back and headed for the building.

Fox looked at me and put his hand on my shoulder, "Get ready"

We all then headed for the same building and entered through the back. Waiting at the door was a tall man wearing a suit. He had a weapon at his side.

"Welcome home, Star Fox." The man said as he opened the door for us. We all nodded to him as we entered.

Fox lead us into the main room, in it were all the reporters and cameras. We walked out and sat down at the table that was in front of them. When I sat down, I looked out into the crowd and saw some odd faces. People were looking at me; I knew for a fact that it was directed to me; why else would they be giving those looks to me?

Krystal leaned over, "Don't worry about them."

I nodded and sighed, "I'll be fine."

Fox then got up and had the crowd quiet down, "Okay, let's get this started. My team is incredibly tired and we want to make this quick."

Suddenly, the reporters started to yell multiple different things simultaneously. Fox then pointed to a white furred feline in the front row. She stood up and composed herself.

"Samantha Barnes for the Weekly Report News. I think that we all want to know this: What planet was the war taking place on?" she asked.

Fox then looked over at me, "I think he should answer this." He said as he pointed right at me.

My heart sank. I looked back at him and whispered, "Why?" Seeing no way out, I decided to answer.

I cleared my throat and went with my gut, "Well…" I said, "…this war took place on my home planet; Earth. It is very much similar to Corneria, the only difference is my race inhabits the planet and is the dominant species there." I cleared my throat once more, "If you're going to ask why we went there to begin with; it's because I don't let anyone mess with my home. I've had a rough life up until Star Fox accepted me; watching someone threaten my home was not an option. And if Wolf took it over with his army, he would use the armies on Earth for his personal gain." I explained.

The woman then nodded and sat down, "Thank you"

Fox nodded at me and smiled, "Next question?"

The reporters then started to yell out questions again. Fox pointed to a black canine in the second row.

"Joshua Miles for CNS. This is for the non-Cornerian..." The canine said.

I lowered my head and sighed at the words that the man had just spoken.

"I notice…" I cut off the canine when he said this.

"First of all… my name is Kevin, asshole. Second, don't ever think of intimidating me." I said. I was pissed, and I wasn't going to hold back. Fox already said I could kick some ass if it had to come to that.

The canine looked at me and then spoke once more, "I couldn't help but notice your leg, face, and hand. What exactly happened?" He asked.

A slight murmur filled the room. Fox quickly looked at me, "Kevin, you don't have to answer that." He had a worried look on his face.

I shook my head and smiled, "No… I'm fine with it."

Fox shrugged and looked back out to the crowd.

I sat up a little, "To answer your question; it is a war injury." I said, "I told you not to intimidate me earlier; I will now tell you why."

The man nodded.

I continued, "I got this from when I killed Wolf O'Donnell." I stared at the Joshua. The murmur returned once I finished the sentence.

"Can you explain?" He asked with an intrigued look on his face.

I nodded, "Gladly; I entered the base that Wolf was in. According to the map I had Slippy send me; I found that he was hiding in the main bridge. I made my way up there and had to take out one of his Marauders; an elite team that he created. This member was the last one and the leader; the others were killed by me as well. I killed him and found that Wolf was in fact waiting for me." I explained. "I made it into the bridge and found Wolf standing there, waiting." I paused and lowered my head, "After that, he fired at me, I fired back. Both our guns were knocked out of our hands, which led to the injuries. After a long fight, Wolf grabbed my hand when I threw and punch and shattered it. He threw me to the wall and I feel in pain. At this point, a self-destruct program was activated, causing the room to fall apart and fill with fires." I shook my head, "If it wasn't for Krystal… I… I wouldn't have… won." I stammered and exhaled. I looked back up and looked at the crowd, "But hey, I think you all would have liked that instead." I said harshly.

Silence filled the room when I said that.

The room was silent for a minute when Falco broke it, "Damn Kev" he said amidst the silence.

I kept the same sharp look focused on the crowd, "Next question?"

The crowd then started to speak again, but in a lower tone than before. A white vulpine in the back caught my attention.

"You, in the back." I said.

He spoke loudly, "This is for Mr. McCloud."

I looked over at Fox. His attention was set on the vulpine.

"Was Wolf the cause of this? If so, did…Kevin… really kill him?" The vulpine asked.

Fox nodded, "Yes, Wolf O'Donnell was secretly constructing an army. He used it to get back against Kevin after he nearly killed him before. Kevin was shot out of the sky during a fight on Fortuna. He ejected and made his way to the base we were fighting over and stole a tank. Kevin nearly shot Wolf out of the sky." Fox explained. "This caused Wolf's thirst for revenge against Kevin." He paused and looked at me, "The first time we encountered Wolf's army, Kevin killed Leon Powalski."

The crowd's attention was turned towards me. I slouched into my chair slightly at the sudden realization.

Fox chuckled, "I think we have time for one more." Fox said.

The crowd once again went loud. Fox pointed to a female in the middle; she was a white avian.

"This is for Kevin" She said.

I sat back up in my chair and sighed. This entire thing ended up being for me.

I gestured to her, "Go ahead"

"What was the damage inflicted on Earth?" She asked, "Was the construction team sent there for damage repair or alliance?"

I was quiet for a minute. I thought about the question; damage to earth. Thinking of it was pulling me into a state of trance once more.

"Sir?" She asked.

Krystal put her hand on my shoulder, "Kevin?"

The memories played in my head; when the squad was lost, Blaze sacrificing himself, the unknown whereabouts of Marry, all of them played over and over.

"Oh no" I heard Krystal say.

I then felt her enter my subconscious. She immediately tried to speak with me.

"Kevin, snap out of it." She said.

After a minute passed, I was knocked out of my trance. I shook my head quickly. The crowd started to whisper slightly. I felt total embarrassment overcome my body. How the hell did I just lose it like that?

I started to clear my throat, "Um…" my voice was a bit shaky, "…the damage was… it was bad. Cities were leveled, countries were destroyed, and troops were lost…" I stopped, "…the countries of my planet were all united. They all helped each other until Wolf came and corrupted all of my countries allies." I explained, "It was my home land's army…against Wolf's and the new enemies."

The woman cleared her throat, "Oh… I… I'm sorry if I cause anything. I did not intend for you to feel this way."

I shook my head, "It's fine. What's done is done."

The woman nodded and sat back down.

Fox stood up, as well as the rest of the team.

"We do appreciate your questions, but we really need to get some rest." He said.

I then stood up and left the room first. I headed for the door and barged through it. I had a very sick feeling overcome me. It was so bad that I feel to my knees and started to gag. The man that watched the door quickly ran over to my side.

"Oh god, are you okay?" He asked.

I kept gagging a little. The feeling was so great and painful; it felt like someone was jabbing a stick into my stomach. After I few moments of silence, the rest of the team came running through the door; they all ran to my side.

"Kevin, are you okay?" Fox asked.

I started to breathe slowly and deeply. Once I gained control over the feeling, I slowly nodded my head. I then got back up to my feet and gained my balance.

"I'm… I'm fine" I stammered.

Fox had his hand on my shoulders, supporting me.

"Let's head back to the estate. Pepper has a craft waiting for us out front." Fox said.

I nodded and pushed his hands from my shoulders, "Don't worry, I'm good."

Fox nodded, "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure, Fox" I said a bit loudly.

He nodded once more and started to walk for the front. I followed after him along with the rest of the team. When we rounded the corner of the building, we saw the crowd surrounding our vehicle.

"Aw crap" Falco said.

Suddenly, the man in the suit emerged from behind us, "I'll handle this."

He then headed for the crowd, "Follow me"

Once he reached the edge of the people, he started to yell. "Alright people, back it up. We got the team walking through. If you don't move, I WILL have you arrested for disturbing the peace."

I was shocked; I didn't think that he would go to such extremes. Nonetheless, the people cleared a straight path to our vehicle. We started to walk through the crowd; people were yelling things left and right. I heard a few scream things about the 'blonde one' and the 'one with no fur'. I knew that they were directed to me; I was the only blonde and the only with no fur.

We reached the hover vehicle and were met by a chauffeur. He opened the door for us and let all five of us in. Once we were settled, he closed the door and headed back to the driver seat. He entered the seat started to pilot his way into the sky. I looked out the window as we flew into the sky; the Great Fox was now docked, the crowd was dispersing, and the news reporters were leaving the building.

"That went rather interesting." Krystal suddenly said.

I looked over at her; the team was all looking at me.

"What?" I asked as I shrugged.

Fox was staring at me, "What you said back there… that took some guts."

I was a bit confused, "What part?"

Falco spoke up, "That Corneria would rather you be dead."

I laughed, "Is it not true?" I asked, "You saw the criticism I received before the war. I only spoke the truth."

Fox nodded, "I understand. Maybe their view will change after the news report goes out and broadcasted to homes all around Corneria." He chuckled, "It's bound to make everyone think twice about you; I mean you killed Wolf, the most wanted criminal in Lylat."

Slippy spoke up, "People here are just really judgmental."

After a few minutes of silence, we neared the team estate. It looked exactly as we left it; huge and clean.

The chauffeur spoke, "We have arrived."

He landed the craft in the main driveway. Once it was set down, he exited the driver seat and opened the door for us. We all exited and headed for the house. As I exited, Fox gave the chauffeur a hefty tip for the smooth trip.

"Thank you, Mr. McCloud." The chauffeur said.

Fox replied, "No, thank you for the ride."

I watched as Fox walked away from the craft.

"You may want to get some rest." He said, "That moment you had during the interview was pretty bad."

I nodded, "Yeah, I'm actually starting to get a slight headache. I'm gonna head to my room right now and sleep; I'm pretty sure that it'll help me."

Fox patted my shoulder. We both walked inside and split; I went upstairs to my room, while Fox walked into the kitchen. I opened the door to my room and took off my jacket. The room looked the same as it was when we left it, but it felt odd. It was probably because I hadn't been in it for a while.

"Time for a good, long nap." I quietly told myself as I flopped down onto my bed. I turned around and faced the ceiling, thinking about numerous subjects. The one that circled my head the most was the safety of Earth. An alliance with Corneria would really help it, not to mention remove the horrid governments that currently rule Earth; communism, socialism, monarchy, dictatorship, etc. They were all too different, that's why there was always fighting. Earth adopting the government here would really help. After a few minutes of thinking, I drifted off into sleep.

_To Be Continued…_

_What you think? I really enjoyed writing this chapter, much better than chapter one. Anyway, please review and tell me what you thought of the chapter and what you think of the book so far. Be sure to also follow if you enjoyed it and check back regularly if you're anonymous. _

_Until next time…_


	3. Chapter 3: A Working Plan

_Okay… I am running a bit low on ideas of what to have Kevin do. I already have a few chapters planned ahead of this, but I am almost out. I am trying really hard in order to give the team something to do, but I just can't find that thing that is too off topic. Anyway, I appreciate the reviews from last chapter and I thank all of you for your continuous support; especially those who have been here ever since Crossed Paths Book 1. _

_On with the story…_

**Chapter 2: A Working Plan **

I awoke slowly as my dream faded into blackness. The dark overcame until a dim light replaced it. The light irritated me to the point where I opened my eyes. I yawned and stretched as I shook off the remaining sleep. I slowly sat up and looked over at the clock on the nightstand.

"2:00 P.M" it read.

"Huh… I guess I wasn't out for long." I said to myself.

I got out of the bed and stood up. I rubbed my face as I tried to get the sleep off of me. I couldn't shake the feeling; I walked into the bathroom to solve this. I turned the sink on and splashed water on my face. The water was incredibly cold and really surprised me; it was so much that I was fully awake from the sudden shock. Not a pleasant way to wake up, but really effective.

"Damn that was cold." I said to myself.

I grabbed the towel that was hanging on the rack and dried my face off. I looked up at myself in the mirror. My attention was locked on my scar; it wasn't very noticeable, but it was still there. I shook out of my trance and walked out into my room. I grabbed my jacket and slipped it on over me. Once I was comfortable in it, I opened the door and headed downstairs. As I was walking down, I saw the team sitting on the couches and watching the news report about our interview. I slowed my walk and watched as I descended.

"In other news, Lylat's Heroes, Team Star Fox, have returned from their long and painful trip to an alien planet named Earth. Officials state that Earth is the home planet of the new member of the team, Kevin Michelson." The news reporter stated.

I reached the bottom and walked over to the couch. I sat in between Falco and Fox on the larger couch; Krystal was on the single seater, and Slippy was in the one opposite from Krystal.

"You're just in time" Fox said as I sat down, "The report is starting."

I nodded, "Let's see what happens." I then turned my attention to the display.

"After some research about the planet, it was determined that Earth is inhabited by species similar to ours, however humans are the dominant species." The reporter continued, "Our field team was able to get in on the small interview that took place after the team landed at the Cornerian Defense Base and got full footage of the entire thing. Johnson?"

The camera then went to a grey vulpine, "Thanks Jennifer" He looked at the camera as a picture of the five of us appeared next to him, "Thanks to our news team, we were able to get the entire interview and show you all at home. But to our surprise, it ended up being mainly for Kevin Michelson, the lone human member and lone human in Lylat. Not only that, but he seems to have accomplished some great things and has really proven himself to be a good man. Watch for yourselves."

The camera then faded and showed the footage of the interview.

"Exactly where was this war taking place?" A reporter was heard asking.

"I believe that he should answer this" Fox said as he looked to the side.

The camera then panned to me.

I thought of something to lighten the mood, "Who's that handsome guy?" I said jokingly. The team started to laugh a bit.

My TV-self started to speak, "Well, the war took place on Earth, my home planet." I said.

I tuned out of it and looked over at Fox, "Do you really think that their view will change after this?"

Fox looked over to me, "After the part where you say what you did? Definitely."

I sighed, "I hope you're right." I then shook my head, "I just hope people here aren't as hard headed as humans."

I looked back at the screen, "Here it comes" Falco said.

"This is for the non-Cornerian." A reporter was heard.

I saw myself lower my head, "First of all, my name is Kevin, asshole. Second, don't try to intimidate me."

It was quiet for a second, "I couldn't help but notice your face, leg, and hand. What exactly happened?"

"They are war injuries from when I killed Wolf O'Donnell." My past self said. The murmur was heard.

"Please explain" The reporter said.

"Gladly; I entered the base that Wolf was in. According to the map I had Slippy send me; I found that he was hiding in the main bridge. I made my way up there and had to take out one of his Marauders; an elite team that he created. This member was the last one and the leader; the others were killed by me as well. I killed him and found that Wolf was in fact waiting for me." I explained. "I made it into the bridge and found Wolf standing there, waiting." I paused at that time, "After that, he fired at me, I fired back. Both our guns were knocked out of our hands, which led to the injuries. After a long fight, Wolf grabbed my hand when I threw and punch and shattered it. He threw me to the wall and I feel in pain. At this point, a self-destruct program was activated, causing the room to fall apart and fill with fires." I shook my head.

"Nice story telling by the way" Fox said as I looked away from the holo display.

I chuckled and looked at Fox, "All memory"

I looked back at the TV and listened to the words I spoke, "If it wasn't for Krystal… I… I wouldn't have… won." I stammered and exhaled. My TV-self looked back up and looked at the crowd, "But hey, I think you all would have liked that instead." I had said harshly.

I chuckled, "There are those words" I was starting to regret saying that. People could have taken this the wrong way.

The camera then faded back to the grey vulpine, "According to eyewitness reports, Kevin Michelson received nothing but criticism and hate when he first arrived on Corneria. This is the second time I watched the interview and I have to say, this man is something great. Really he is…" The vulpine pointed at the camera, "…and I want to say that you, sir, are incredible and unique. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise." He said. "We would show you the remaining of the interview, but it is quite long and we simply can't fit it in. However, we will give you the overview." The vulpine cleared his throat, "According to team leader, Fox McCloud, Kevin Michelson is responsible for the killing of Wolf O'Donnell, Leon Powalski, and the elite team named 'The Marauders'. Wolf and Leon are the two most wanted criminals in Lylat; as for this Marauder team, I can't really say. We haven't been given any info in terms of who they were besides that they were trained by Wolf himself."

"Well I'll be damned" Fox said after the reporter said that.

I chuckled, "That's only one person. This doesn't mean it worked." I was still entirely surprised to see not only the reporter go out of script to say a few things, but the fact that he even thought of me being good and normal.

The reporter continued, "If anyone out there still has mixed feelings for Kevin; remember that he killed two of the most wanted criminals in Lylat, is on Star Fox, killed Wolf's elite squad, and went to great lengths to protect his home. These are signs of a good man, not a monster. And I know for a fact that he will do an incredible job, not only protecting his home world, but Lylat, his new home. Jennifer?"

The camera went back to the female, "I would like to also state something: Kevin, I actually used to think that you were a… monster so to speak… but this was the first time I watched the interview. You are a good man and dedicated to your job. If anyone tells you otherwise, punch them…"

I was shocked at what the reporter just said, "Whoa" I quickly said.

Falco started to laugh, "That's too much!" He couldn't stop.

"…they obviously can't see that you just saved us from our fear of Star Wolf and an impending war with Corneria. And also, to the team in all, everyone here thanks you for taking him in and training him. Kevin Michelson is a good man and is a valuable addition to our society and the team. We all know you all will protect us. Jennifer Windhill for CNS." The news station logo then appeared and went to commercial.

"There's already a grip of people that changed their view about you." Fox said.

I chuckled; I was still a bit concerned since it was only a few people, "That's only the news station."

Fox patted my shoulder, "What did I tell you?"

I smiled, "I know I know" I chuckled a bit, "but still…"

Falco cut in, "Now that was only a few people. Everyone else out there still have their opinions, Fox. Kevin just needs to watch out for them."

I nodded, "I'm sure they won't criticize me further," I looked back at the TV, "If it comes to a certain point, I'll deal with that individual."

Fox chuckled, "Make sure that line is pretty high. I don't want you going around and beating everyone who calls you a 'freak'."

I shook my head, "It'll take more than that to bother me."

Fox then grabbed the remote and changed the channel. Coincidentally, it was changed to a channel in which a man was speaking about the interview. It was a talk show with one man behind a desk. It reminded me of the Jay Leno show back on Earth.

"So they come back and get thrown into an interview." The host said, "People everywhere have called in saying that I needed to do something and talk about this, so I was like 'why not? It's a good topic for a small conversation'." The host explained, "Here to discuss this with me is actor John Willis."

A tall, tan vulpine then entered from the left and shook hands with the host. After that, they both sat down.

"First of all, I would like to apologize for the short notice." The host told John.

John shook his head, "Don't worry about it, Ray. I think this is better to talk about."

Ray then grabbed some papers, "Alright then, first thing: a human on Star Fox. I've never heard of such a species, heck I don't even think we knew they existed, and here comes the team with the new guy." He said. The crowd started to laugh a bit.

John then spoke, "He's a very odd looking creature, isn't he?"

The host nodded, "To me, of course because I've never seen anything like this guy. I mean he has no fur, his skin shows, his physical appearance is just so different yet similar."

John nodded, "Kinda weird isn't it? It's so different, yet the same."

"Next up, we have the interview footage. Our special team in the back edited it so that we could highlight the key events." Ray said, "Roll the first part"

The video played, "The war took place on my home planet, Earth."

"Stop" he said, "okay so there's that: he's from Earth and he speaks our language. That just creeps me out."

John cut in, "Me too; it's like they knew of us or something like that."

Ray laughed, "Let's roll the next part"

"…when I killed Wolf…" I said.

"Stop" he said once more, "Right there; this is what got my attention of this kid. He KILLED Wolf O'Donnell? That's insane! He's been on the team for such a short time and he's already taken out the most wanted guy in Lylat!" Ray said loudly.

I chuckled at this, "This is amusing; reminds me a lot of a show back on Earth."

Fox nodded, "This guy usually has some interesting guests to talk with. He's even a comedian and puts some comedy in his shows."

This reminded too much of the Jay Leno show.

"On top of this, people have told me that Kevin was hated and even thought to be a monster! I heard that when he first arrived, he was confronted and nearly beat. Now this was when he literally first arrived, Fox was there to keep this guy from beating Kevin to the ground, thankfully, but still so much hate for someone who ended up saving his own planet and even getting rid of our fear of Star Wolf." Ray explained, "Now we can't leave out the rest of the team, listen to this part."

"…If it wasn't for Krystal… I… I wouldn't…. I wouldn't have… won…"

"Right there" he said, "What do you make of this, John?"

John shrugged, "Obviously, when Kevin was fighting Wolf, Krystal must have intervened and helped in some way."

Ray nodded, "I can see that being possible, but what about Kevin's injuries? He obviously didn't have an easy time fighting Wolf; he has a robotic leg and hand, and he has a scar on his face."

John then replied, "Maybe Krystal only helped in a way where she gave him a boost; like handing him an extra weapon."

I turned my attention to Krystal, "That's exactly what happened."

Krystal smiled at me.

"I can't thank you enough for that, Krystal." I said.

She smiled, "I'm just glad that you're alive and well."

I looked back at the display.

"I, for one, am glad Krystal did so. Kevin would be dead if it weren't for her." Ray explained, "I just wish we could get more detail as to what happened."

John nodded, "This guy reminds me of the roles I play in my movies: takes risks, and excellent at fighting."

Ray nodded, "Only thing is that he's human."

The crowd chuckled.

I was enjoying the show a lot. About halfway through, I got the urge to go out for some air. I stood up and walked for the door.

"Where you going, Kevin?" Fox asked as I walked to the door.

I looked back, "Heading to Space Dynamics." I replied, "I want to see if Beltino can get repairs on the armor and even analyze it." I fibbed. I thought about it and actually thought that would be a good idea.

Fox shrugged, "Alright then"

I opened the door and walked over to the garage. I opened the garage door and watched as it moved up and out of the way. Sitting inside was Falco's Motorcycle, one of the few remaining wheeled vehicles on Corneria, Fox's Firebird, and my Silver Coupe named the CTZ. I still remember when I finished my training; the team surprised me with the hovercraft.

"Oh how I missed you" I said as I opened the door. I sat down and stayed silent for a bit, trying to get a feel of the car once more.

I exhaled, "Just as I remembered."

I started the vehicle and slowly moved up. The vehicle got up to the point where I could exit the garage. I backed out and turned. Once I was ready, I took off down the road. The CTZ was a hovercraft, but it wasn't flyable. Most commercial use vehicles are only hover capable, while the higher vehicles, like transports, were flyable.

As I was flying down the empty road, I felt the car as the engine roared. I was going pretty fast; about 90 mph. As I neared the turn I needed to take, I slowed the vehicle down and stopped. I looked down both roads and made a left turn. It took me a few minutes to finally reach downtown. When I did, I went down the main strip that ran down the middle. At the end of the strip was where Space Dynamics and the Cornerian Defense Force building were located.

"Oh boy… traffic" I said as I saw the large amount of vehicles in front of me. I looked out to my side and saw people walking to and fro. Some had bags, other had nothing. I looked back in front of me and made a left turn. I decided to go on the outskirts of downtown in order to escape traffic. I was right, traffic was way less here. I quickly made my way around and closer to the buildings. It only took me a few minutes to finally reach them.

I drove up to the side of the Space Dynamics building and parked in one of the side spots. I turned the car off and slowly exited while looking up at the building. Once I was out, I looked at the people. No one was staring at me and no one was saying anything about me.

I started to walk towards the entrance of the building; this is when I started to get feedback. As I was walking, people stopped what they were doing and were looking at me. I disregarded them and continued walking. I neared the door and stopped. I thought of something to say.

I turned around and faced the people that were looking at me. There was a lot, even those across the street were watching. Maybe the whole plan did backfire and everyone just worsened their view on me. The only way to find out for sure was to confront it.

I found the nerve to speak, "So you're all just gonna stare at me? What's that going to solve?" I said loudly as I threw my arms up. The people just kept staring.

"Let me just tell you something: You all think I'm a monster. But think of this, would a monster risk his life to protect you? Would a monster step out like this? Would a monster even be here?" I exclaimed loudly.

Suddenly, a woman that was near stepped forward. She walked up the steps to the building and stood next to me. She then looked out to the crowd as well.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves." She said, "How is he a monster? This man is no different than any of us!"

I stared at the woman who was standing up for me. She had white fur and appeared to be a feline. She was wearing a white shirt and jeans. She looked stunning.

"Did you all not hear what he did for Lylat and his home planet?" She continued, "I can't believe how horrible you people are."

Then a man walked up the steps and joined the two of us. He was a brown vulpine.

"I agree with this woman; Kevin is not a horrible man, he's a gift!" He yelled.

I then faced the two, "What are your names?" I asked.

"Rose" The feline replied.

"Will" the vulpine replied.

I nodded at them, "Thank you"

Rose shook her head, "No, thank you for what you and the team have done."

Will cut in, "You may think that no one likes you, but there is; ignore these people because they obviously don't see who you really are."

I smiled, "Thank you; I can't explain how grateful I am of you two."

Both of these people were amazing. They were like answers to prayers that I had been asking.

"Please, walk inside with me. I don't want you two to be slandered by these people." I said as I started my walk to the door.

Rose and Will walked by me as we entered the Space Dynamics building. Once we were inside, we took a seat in the waiting area.

Will was the first to speak, "Kevin, if you ever have an issue with these people, don't be afraid to teach them a lesson."

Rose agreed, "Don't take what they say."

I chuckled, "Fox has already been all over me on that." I sighed, "I can handle a little criticism. I could handle Wolf, so why not a few people that for some reason hate me?"

Will nodded, "That's the spirit"

I smiled, "Again, thank you both. I really could have used some help."

Rose smiled back, "It's nothing"

She was very nice and amazing. She looked very young and was beautiful. I couldn't exactly explain how she looked to me or how nice she was.

"I apologize, but I must meet Beltino about some problems." I said as I stood up.

Will stood up as well, "It's no problem, take care, Mr. Michelson."

I smiled, "Just call me Kevin."

Rose stood up as well, "Thank you"

I smiled, "Listen…" I spoke out of term; I was stuck now.

Rose looked at me, "Yes?"

I cleared my throat, I had no choice but to go in, "You seem like a very nice woman. I would love to get to know you better."

She smiled, "I was thinking the same thing of you."

I blushed, "Really?" I caught myself and quickly snapped out of it.

"We can talk over dinner if you like?" Rose asked.

I liked it, "Yeah, how does Monday sound?"

She nodded and smiled; "Definitely" She then headed for the door and exited.

I couldn't believe that I actually did that. I got a date for Monday and I met a girl who seemed amazing and just flat out great. I was happy that I decided to go out in the first place now.

I thought to myself, "Well, better go talk to Beltino."

I walked up to the receptionist, "Hello Mr. Michelson; how may I help you?" the red fox asked.

I leaned up on the desk, "I need to speak with Beltino Toad."

She gave a confused look, "May I ask why? It is so I can get the appointment in."

I lowered my head. The reason was something of a private matter; I didn't know if I was allowed to tell her about the whole alien tech inside of the armor and pistol.

"Um…" I stuttered, "… I am not entirely sure if I am allowed to speak of it. It isn't urgent, but I do not know if I may tell you exactly."

She nodded, "No problem, I understand. I'll notify him right away."

I nodded, "Thanks"

She then pressed a button on a small console, "Mr. Beltino? Are you busy at the moment?"

The toad replied, "Just a tad; what is it Daniela?"

The fox replied, "Mr. Michelson is here. He says he has something for you; he isn't telling exactly what so I think you may want to see him."

Beltino answered, "Send him up"

She released the button, "Go on up to level 13. Mr. Beltino should be in his lab."

I smiled and nodded, "Thanks again"

I walked over to the elevator and called it down. After a few seconds passed, the doors slid open. I walked in and pressed the number 13 on the large touch pad. The doors then slid closed and the elevator began its trip to level 13.

_To be Continued…_

_This chapter took some time. I didn't expect for this book to be so damn hard to write! Anyway, since I just can't find anything to write, the book will be cut short. This one is taking too long and I want to get started on my next book right away before my ideas leak away. I will write just a few more chapters for this book and then start work on Ratchet and Clank: A Turn of Events (working title). _

_This is something I have been debating about. Since the beginning of this book, I have had trouble thinking of what to put and such. In the past, I have read some very good causal stories on Star Fox (i.e.: Fox and Krystal's Night Out). As you can tell, I have NO experience with this kind of writing; hell, I can hardly keep detail in the story. And so I have come to the decision: Is anyone willing to assist on the writing process for what is left of this book? There are literally only 3 chapters left that I have plots for. If you have experience, please leave a review if you are willing to assist. If I cannot find help, I will ride it out; and if I can't pull it off, I will cancel this book. I really don't want to leave this unfinished, but I will do what I must. _

_-jon3s115_

_Until Next Time… _


	4. Chapter 4: Getting the Word Out

_Okay… I found a way to help with my strap for ideas. Chapters will now be shorter so that I can focus on detail and a good story, rather than quick and half-assed settings. I would also like to thank __Kit Karamak__ for his assistance. It really helped me on how to write this. Anyway…_

_On with the story…_

**Chapter 4: Getting the Word Out**

I finished speaking with Beltino about the acquired armor and pistol. I showed him the pictures, told him of their capabilities, and told him of the damage. He was extremely amazed at what had happened.

"Wolf was using Andross Tech?" He asked.

I nodded, "Otherwise the armor would have worked like the previous set you issued me." I replied.

Beltino scratched his head, "Thank goodness he's gone then. If he would be alive, another Andross catastrophe would surely arise."

Beltino was right; Wolf would have definitely used the tech on Corneria and Lylat. He probably would succeed with how advanced it was.

"Well, he's dead and that's that." I said.

Beltino nodded, "And we are all thankful that you made it back alive."

I chuckled, "Everyone? I wish…"

Some people may be thankful, but there are still a hell of a lot more that think wrongly of me. But still, Beltino was right; some were glad of me being alive.

"If you want to get it straight with Corneria, why not make an appearance on one of the talk shows, or even set up an interview with the News?" Beltino asked.

What he said made something click; an interview would be perfect! I could speak on my own terms and share the details of what happened. I can even confront all of Corneria and spread the word even faster.

My eyes widened, "You know what? You're right! I'll set up an interview with Ray Jones!"

Beltino smiled, "He'll be more than happy to take your offer; after all you are a hero of Lylat."

I liked what Beltino said. With that I shook his hand and exited the lab.

"I'll send over the armor and pistol as soon as I can." I said as I exited.

I walked down the hall and towards the elevator. I passed several scientists that were chatting of things I didn't understand; something about Plasmatic Fusion, Gravitational G-Diffusion, etc. I couldn't understand it either way, so I disregarded them.

I pressed the 'Lobby' icon on the touchpad and waited patiently for the elevator. As I was waiting, Beltino came out from his lab and called for me. I turned around and watched as Beltino quickly made his way to me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

Beltino was quick, "The armor you mentioned; what was it made of?"

I was a bit confused, "I believe Denzium and Chrozonian." I recalled.

Beltino was a bit surprised, "I'm shocked that Andross' scientists even found a way to harness Chrozonian. It's a highly unstable element that we generally stay away from."

I raised my eyebrow, "So should I still bring it in?" I asked.

Beltino quickly nodded, "Yes, but try to be quicker. The research and possible production of more suits can help in case of another threat; a threat we may be unprepared for."

I nodded and walked into the elevator.

"I'll bring it tomorrow" I said as the doors slid closed. The elevator then started its trip down to the lobby floor. On the way down, I thought about what he said.

Unstable? Then why haven't I been affected by it? The question whirled around in my head. I didn't let them bother me since they weren't my prime concern at the moment. My concern was getting to the studio where Ray Jones films his show. Plenty of people, if not everyone, must watch his show.

The elevator doors slid open. I walked out and headed straight for the exit. I walked out and ran down the stairs in a rush. I then went to the driver side of the CTZ and entered. I turned the vehicle on and raised my communicator. Built in was a browser for internet access.

'Jay Jones Studio' I typed in the search bar. The key pad was small, but worked perfectly.

In a split second, I was met with results for the location of the studio. I found its precise location and started my drive.

"2231 Sound Avenue" the directions said. Surprisingly, the navigation unit in my car said that it was only a few streets down.

Once I locked in the destination, I headed off. I went down Corneria Avenue and turned right onto Sound Avenue. Sure enough, a large studio numbered 10 was in the place of the Jay Jones Studio. I went around to the back and parked next to the back door. Next to the door was a tall man; he must have been guarding it.

"Excuse me" he yelled, "You are not authorized entrance here."

I put my hands up, "Look, I'm just here to speak with Mr. Jones."

The guard looked at me funny, "Why do you think he would want to see you?"

I had to think of a lie to get in, "I… have an appointment."

The guard chuckled, "An appointment?"

I nodded, "Yeah, for an interview. I'm Kevin Michelson."

The guard then realized it, "Oh yeah, you are." The guard then proceeded to look at me.

After some time of quiet, he finally spoke, "Fine, but don't let me catch you in securities possession."

I was surprised that it worked, "Oh, thank you." I said.

The guard then stepped aside and opened the door for me. I entered and found several people walking around. They were all rushing around quickly, trying to get ready for filming the next show. As one of the workers passed by, I stopped them.

"Excuse me" I said as I grabbed the avian's shoulder. He stopped and looked at me. "Where can I find Mr. Ray Jones?"

The avian was shocked. His face was full of excitement and joy.

"Mr. Michelson, please come with me, Ray has wanted to talk to you for a while now." The avian said.

"Was he expecting me?' I asked as we walked down a long hallway.

The avian shook his head, "No, but he has wanted an interview with you. We never would have thought of you coming down and scheduling it yourself."

I chuckled; I must have been the first "famous person" to do something like this.

The avian stopped when we were in front of a door with a star on it. He then typed a code onto the keypad and opened the door for me.

"Mr. Jones, you have a very special visitor." The avian said as he closed the door with me in the room.

From behind a curtain came a grey-black vulpine. Ray Jones was taller than I expected, but I still out stood him by an inch or so.

"Oh my god! Kevin Michelson!?" Ray said as he smiled with joy.

I shrugged, "Yes sir, that's me."

He then walked over to me and started to shake my hand, "My god, I've wanted to meet you so badly. What brings you here?"

I looked around the room, "Well, I was wondering if you could squeeze me in for an interview sometime."

Ray smiled and looked speechless, "Of… of course. I can get you the star guest spot for tomorrow's show!"

I nodded and smiled, "That's perfect. I just need to spread what really happened on Earth. These rumors and just downright awful thoughts about me are not who I really am."

Ray nodded continuously, "I agree with you 100%. When I first heard of the hate you got, I was mortified. Then I heard what you did on Earth, and it just made me mad that you're hated. These people are just too blind to see what you really did!"

I was happy that someone with such a high fame was a friend of me. If someone with as much fame as Ray was against me, then I would most likely be run out of Lylat.

"I appreciate your kindness." I said, "So tomorrow, yes?" I asked.

Ray nodded, "Get here around 7:00 A.M." He said, "This show is always live, never pre-recorded, so bring your a-game."

I was excited about this. Not only would I give out the true story of what I did and show everyone that I am not a monster, but I am also going to be able to do it with one appearance.

"Thank you very much, sir. I'll try to get here early." I said.

Ray nodded, "I'll see you tomorrow then."

With that I exited the room and headed back down the hall. I re traced my steps and found my way back to the door I had entered through. I opened it and found the guard still standing and waiting.

"So how did it go?" He asked me.

I walked over to my car, "Got star guest spot for tomorrow."

The guard chuckled, "Then good luck tomorrow."

I nodded at him and entered the car. I started it up and headed back out to the front of the building. Surprisingly, the traffic wasn't bad at all. I drove down Sound Avenue and went onto Corneria Avenue. I was driving slowly and cautiously, so I didn't hit anyone randomly crossing the street.

As I was driving slowly, I noticed a few people wearing concealed clothing standing near an alley. They gave me high suspicions. I slowed even more and watched as they followed after an unsuspecting man walking into the alley.

"Oh shit…" I said. I turned and stopped the car on the side walk. People were cursing at me for driving recklessly. I ignored them and got out of the car. I looked over at the alley and then back into the car. I opened the center consul and pulled out my D-40 Pistol that I had just in case. When I had it in my hands, I closed the door and walked around the car. People were now gasping at the sight.

"Everyone, stand back" I said as I neared the alley.

People were now following me as I entered. They crowded around the entrance of the alleyway, but at a safe distance.

When I made it into the alley, I found the group of concealed people beating on the lone vulpine. They were punching and kicking him as he was on the ground in a fetal position.

"Hey!" I yelled. They stopped what they were doing and turned around.

"What the fuck do you want?" One of the men asked.

I raised my pistol, "To leave this man alone!" I yelled back.

They all looked at each other laughing.

One of them stopped, "What the hell are you gonna do about it?"

I fired a single shot at their feet. They jumped back as the bolt of green energy hit the ground.

"I'll kill you all if I have to." I said.

The four men then reached into their clothes and pulled out switchblade knives and daggers. They all were in a ready stance.

I chuckled when I saw them pull their weapons out, "That's cute"

I fired at the taller one and watched as he fell to the ground, dead. The other three then all charged at me simultaneously. The crowed behind me gasped.

"Let's dance" I said.

I sidestepped and dodged the first slash of the smaller man. Once I was clear, I brought my fist around and landed a right hook on the man concealed face. He fell to the ground. I turned around and saw the second man swing at my head; I ducked and brought my fist up for a strong uppercut. The goon flew into the air. I turned and found the last bad guy rushing towards me. He slashed at my face, but I did a half back flip, catching myself with my hands on the ground. I used the momentum to complete the back flip and kicking the man in the face. He flew into the air and landed hard. I stood back up and found the four men now on the ground; three in severe pain, and one dead.

I turned around and faced the crowd, "And that is how you deal with a group of baddies." I then cracked my neck and let out a deep sigh of relief.

I turned back around and grabbed my pistol, which I tossed aside to fight the goons in close combat. I walked over to the man and helped him up. He wasn't bleeding as bad as the first person I saved from goons, but he was still in bad shape.

As I helped him up, I noticed something about him. He looked extremely familiar. After a second passed, it hit me. It was Will!

"Holy crap, Will?!" I asked in shock.

He coughed, "Hey Kevin, how you been?" he asked with pain in his voice.

"Damn it, we need to get you to the hospital." I said as I picked him up in my arms.

I ran out of the alley and into the crowd, "Someone, call for help!" I yelled.

I heard someone yell from the crowd, "You'll never make it to the hospital if you wait!"

I shook my head, "Damn it"

I then ran out of the crowd and over to my car. I opened the door and placed Will in the passenger seat.

"Hang tight, Will." I said as I closed the door and ran over to the driver side.

I started the car and quickly u-turned. I then pushed the pedal and flew down the somewhat open street. I dodged and weaved passed other cars and prayed that I would get through red lights without colliding with an adjacent vehicle.

"Will how hurt are you?" I asked as I focused on what was ahead.

He coughed, "They stabbed me and beat the living shit out of me."

I looked over for a split second and saw that he was bleeding even worse than before.

"Goddamn this day is just crazy" I silently said to myself.

I made a hard right and flew down the next street. At the end was the hospital.

"Don't worry, we're almost there." I said as I continued to fly passed other vehicles.

In only a second, we reached the hospital. I slammed the break and quickly came to a stop right in front of the hospital. I swung my door open and ran over to Will's side. I opened the door and grabbed him. I turned and ran into the hospital.

"I need a doctor!" I yelled.

A woman from behind the reception desk came running over to us.

"What the hell happened?" She asked.

I shook my head, "Some men beat this man down to the ground. He has some bad stabbing wounds."

Just then, a few doctors came through the ER doors with a stretcher.

"Put him on here" one of the doctors said.

I did as he said and placed Will on the stretcher. The doctors then turned around and ran back through the same set of doors they had entered through.

I was in shock, why would anyone want to hurt Will? He is a good man; he stood up with me to defend me against the discrimination I was getting. This was when I remembered; Rose did even more than Will. She basically told the entire crowd that was present to back-off.

"I have to make sure she gets home safely tomorrow." I said to myself quietly.

The nurse then walked over to me, "Do you know the patient?" She asked.

I nodded, "Yes, he helped me in front of Space Dynamics. A crowd formed around me and started to discriminate me. He was one of the two that assisted me with the problem." I explained.

"Was there anyone else that helped?" She asked.

I nodded once more, "A female feline. Her name was Rose. I don't think she would be in danger from doing the same thing as he did. I am actually dating her."

The nurse nodded, "So you think that because he helped you, the goons attacked him?"

I shrugged, "There are a lot of people on this planet and in this system that do not like me. Regardless of what I did, there are still plenty that think wrongly of me."

The nurse continued to nod, "Well, I don't think that you're evil, or a monster. The people that think so are just idiots."

I smiled, "Thank you"

I then exited the hospital and made my way to my car. I started it and headed back for the estate. The day, which was intended to be a simple discussion with Beltino, turned into a new plan to clear my name and save a new friend from harm's way.

"Déjà vu" I said as I remembered saving the stranger from when I finished training. He was in a much more dangerous condition as Will. I remember the stranger nearly dying in my arms. Will, however, was a fighter and kept awake regardless of the pain he must have been feeling.

Tomorrow must have something special in store for me.

_To Be Continued…_

_I am incredibly sorry for having to do this. I know that longer chapters make for more interesting reads, but I simply can't output enough plot for a long chapter. Shorter ones like this are much easier for me and will also be more detailed, better story, and dialogue. I hope you all understand. _

_Oh yes and I know; another chapter already? In only 2 days? I know I'm surprised myself. I didn't know that these ideas that I had would go so quickly into writing. I'm still stuck as to what to do next, it's just chapters will be up faster from now on, since they are significantly shorter. _

_I also want to say once more; thank you to Kit Karamak for assisting a fellow fan fic writer. Your advice really helped with this chapter and has saved the book from cancellation. _

_Until next time…_


	5. Chapter 5: A Day To Remember

_Thank you to Kit Karamak for assisting a fellow writer with his struggles. I appreciate it 100%. I also thank all of you readers for enjoying the work I put into making the books. Extra thanks to those that have stuck with me since book 1; I hope that you all stay and continue reading once I leave Star Fox. One more thing; I thought of something interesting to do in the future. I like this universe I created for Star Fox, so I decided to do something BIG. I can't wait until I can start it. Anyway…_

_On with the story…_

**Chapter 5: A Day to Remember **

Today's Monday; the busiest day I may ever have. I had the interview, my date with Rose, and take the armor to Beltino.

I awoke to the sound of my alarm. I looked over at the clock. The sun was barely rising over the horizon.

"6:30" it read.

I rubbed my eyes and tried to focus on it. After a while, I realized that I had the interview in a short while. Seeing as how I had to get the suit to Beltino first, I was a bit late.

"Oh crap" I said as I sprung out of bed and into the bathroom.

I turned the water on and quickly undressed. I stepped in and quickly rinsed myself. I grabbed the soap lathered my skin, I then washed it off. I then lathered my hair and washed it off as well. Once I finished, I stepped out of the shower and turned the water off. I opened the cabinet and pulled out a towel and started to quickly dry myself off. I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked out into my room.

"Okay, how am I going to do this?" I asked myself as I stood in front of the closet.

I opened the door and found a black shirt. I grabbed it and also a pair of dark denim jeans. I grabbed some socks and boxers and laid the clothing out on the bed. I slipped on the boxers and socks and then the jeans. I grabbed the shirt and slipped it on over me. I walked back over to the closet and started to ponder on how I would get the armor to Beltino.

"Oh!" I said.

I opened the glass that the suit of armor was inside of and activated the mechanism that put it on the ground. After a few seconds, the armor was standing in front of me. I walked over to my nightstand and grabbed my communicator; I slipped it over my right wrist and entered a command. The armor then opened the chest, legs, and arms. I turned around and slowly entered the Exoskeleton type armor. Once I was in, the chest, legs, and arms closed up. The locks then disengaged, giving me the sudden weight shock.

I cracked my neck, "Let's get going"

I walked over to my door and opened it. I grabbed my jacket and then headed out into the hallway. As I exited the room, Krystal walked by.

"Hey Kevin" she said with a smile, "Big day ahead of you?" she asked.

I nodded, "Oh yeah; interview, armor to Beltino, and my date."

She smiled, "Busy bee"

I told the team about Will and Rose when I returned from speaking with Ray Jones. They all loved the fact that I was really getting into life after the war; especially since I was the age I was, 16. I was surprised myself. The affects the war had on me was nothing now; I used to feel pain and had all the nightmares, now it's as if it never happened.

I chuckled, "Exactly" I then sighed, "I am a bit nervous about the interview though."

Krystal put her hand on my shoulder, "Don't worry, we'll be watching from here. Just make sure you know what you're saying and try not to stutter."

I chuckled again, "I don't think talking is a problem, it's just the overall attempt."

The two of us then started to walk down the stairs.

"Well, you said Ray was on your side, yes?" She asked.

I nodded, "He said he didn't know why people hated me."

Krystal chuckled, "If something happens on the show, I'm sure he will help you."

I nodded again, "I guess you're right."

The two of us reached the bottom of the stairs and walked into the kitchen that was across from where we were. Fox and Falco were standing on either side of the bar.

"Good morning, you two." Fox said as we walked over.

I smiled, "Definitely a good morning"

Falco looked over at me, "What's with the armor?"

"Beltino wanted to examine and probably make copies." I explained, "After I explained it to him, he said it was unlike he's ever heard of."

Fox raised an eyebrow, "What else did he say?"

I pondered the question, "Um…" I then jotted my memory, "Oh yeah! He said that the element that was used to create this was highly unstable."

Falco nearly choked on his drink.

"Really?" Fox said in little shock.

Falco got the liquids down, "And you're wearing it?" He took a deep breath, "Can't an 'unstable' thing kill you?"

I smiled and nodded, "It obviously doesn't hurt me."

I looked at the communicator; the time was now 6:45.

"I have to get to the studio. The show starts in a few." I said as I turned.

"We'll be watching." Fox called from behind.

"No pressure" Falco added.

I turned my head back, "Very funny guys"

I walked out to the garage and opened the large automatic door. Once it was halfway, I walked under it. I opened the door to my car and started it. Once it was off of the ground, I left to driveway and out onto the road. Seeing no cars in sight, I pressed the pedal to the floor and flew down the road. I was running a bit late, so I saw nothing keeping me from doing so. I reached the first turn and went down the next street.

As I was driving, I started to think about the date. I hadn't thought of any good places to go. As a matter of fact, there weren't any places I knew of! I was still fairly new to Lylat, so I needed to get used to it a bit more. I decided that I could discuss it with her when we meet up. We agreed to do so in front of Space Dynamics. 7:00 p.m. sharp.

I reached the Space Dynamics building and parked in front like I did last time. I looked down at my left hand, the plated glove missing. I was reminded of what happened on the ship, how I nearly died. I shook it off and exited the car. Once I was out, I walked straight for the building. Once I was in, the receptionist spoke.

"Mr. Beltino is waiting in his lab again." She said.

"Thank you" I said as I called the elevator down.

The door opened. I walked inside and tapped the level 3 icon. The doors closed and I was sent upward to the given level. It didn't take long at all, about a few seconds. Once the doors opened, I found numerous scientists walking to and fro in the hallways. I exited and walked down the main strip that led to Beltino's lab.

I reached the door that was labeled 'Beltino Toad'. I knocked and awaited a response. When Beltino opened the door, he had a face of shock.

"My goodness" he said, "This is the armor?"

I nodded, "Yes sir, pretty nice isn't it?"

He nodded, "Indeed, it makes my design look like garbage."

I chuckled, "I don't even think this is armor. I think it's an exoskeleton of some sort."

Beltino then gestured to enter.

I did as he said and walked into the lab.

"Go ahead and take the armor off. Place it over by the examination room, right over there." He explained as he walked over to a desk.

I looked at where he was pointing; there was a large window that looked into a room with equipment. I walked over and did as he said; I disengaged the armor. I put my arms to the side and engaged the locks. The chest, legs, and hands then opened up, allowing me to exit the suit with ease.

"Incredible" Beltino said from his desk.

I chuckled, "As you can see, a few things have happened to this marvel."

Beltino walked over, "Damage?"

I nodded, "Yes, the left plated glove was destroyed along with my hand. The right leg has some damage in its stability; this suit is most likely a prototype because my leg did not survive the fall. Also, the helmet system, which worked exactly like the mechanics on the previous suit, is completely ravaged. It's not only jammed, but the visor is shattered and the helmet has a major gash."

Beltino nodded, "Tough fight you had with Wolf."

I laughed a little, "Yeah, tough as hell."

Beltino sighed after he looked over the armor, "Well, it's not beyond repair. However, it may take a long time before it can be restored. We don't have the proper technology in order to get it back to the way it was. So some time will be added while we analyze the tech on this."

I smiled and nodded, "Take as long as you need" I looked at my communicator, "If you'll excuse me, I have an interview."

Beltino nodded, "I'll contact you on the results."

I nodded and exited the room.

I made my way back down to the lobby and then back outside to my car. I went over to the driver side and entered the vehicle. I started it and headed down the street towards the studio. People were walking around on the sidewalks and some were even heading in the direction of the studio.

I slowed down as I drove in front of the large building and watched as a huge crowd of people formed outside the entrance. I drove around and tried to enter via the back, however a gate blocked my entrance. I decided to take the front. I went back around and entered the front lot. I parked close to the street just in case something happened. I exited and found that I couldn't go around the crowd, but through it. As I exited, one of the assistants saw me and ran over to me.

"Mr. Michelson, please come this way." He said.

I slipped my jacket on and followed after the man in the suit. He led me to the sidewalk and then pointed down a long stretch into the building. On either side were people taking pictures and yelling. Many of the guest speakers were arriving as well and were walking down this strip.

"Head down after Morris Greenman." The man said.

I was confused, "Who?"

He pointed out to a red avian that was now walking down.

"Go go, you're the first interview of the night." The man then said.

I thought to myself, "I wish the back entrance was open." I honestly did not want to walk in front of all those people taking pictures and such; I just wasn't used to it.

I walked around and at the starting point. People then turned my way and started to yell and scream. As I was walking down, they were snapping pictures and asking questions. I disregarded them and tried to keep from any hostile remarks made.

"Just ignore them Kev." I thought to myself.

After what seemed like an eternity, I finally made it inside. Once I entered, a crew member walked up and told me to head to the powder room.

"Where is that?" I asked.

The member nodded, "Okay just follow me"

The crew member then led me to a room that was labeled 'Star Guest'. I entered and found a couple of people waiting.

"Mr. Michelson, please sit." One of them said.

I walked over and sat down in the chair.

"Now we are going to apply some cover up. It's only so you can look your best." The male stated.

I nodded.

The two then commenced with the powdering and covered my face with the substance. When they were finished, I looked at myself in the mirror in front of me. They did a pretty decent job. My face was clean enough that the cameras made it look presentable and real enough that I don't look like a doll.

Suddenly, a member rushed through the door, "Three minutes!"

The female then clapped once, "I think we're done here. Go on out and meet Ray at stage right. Just take a right when you leave this room, and then take another right. Go down two turns and take a left. Right stage entrance should be right there with some crew and Ray."

I nodded and smiled, "Thank you" I got up and exited the room.

I did exactly as she said and quickly found myself beside Ray Jones and a few cast members.

"Glad to see you made it!" Ray exclaimed as I turned the corner.

I extended my hand and shook his, "Glad I can be here."

A crew member then held up five fingers and started to count down.

"Here we go, Mr. Michelson" Ray said as he took a deep breath.

The member pointed at Ray, signaling him to enter. As soon as he hit the stage, the audience erupted in yelling and cheering. I watched as Ray made it to center stage and waved to everyone. After sometime, he quieted the audience down.

"Thank you all for coming. Today we have a very special menu of guests. We have the famous Morris Greenman here!" He said.

The crowd started to cheer at the name.

"We also have the incredible Roxanne Freeman!" He said as the crowd continued to cheer, "And also we have singer Dennis Martin!" The crowd cheered even more.

"Now please help me welcome our Star Guest of the night…" Ray said.

A crew member whispered in my ear, "When he says your name, head out and shake hands with him. Then sit down."

"… a very special guest that I didn't even think I could get…" Ray continued.

I thought to myself, "Let's do this"

"…Lylat Hero, Kevin MICHELSON!" He yelled. I was met with an unexpected huge roar of cheering.

I took a huge breath and walked out. I waved as the audience cheered and yelled. I walked over to Ray and shook hands with him. He gestured over to the desk and we walked over to our spots. I sat in the chair while Ray sat down at his desk. Once we were both seated, the crowd quieted down.

"Wow, can you all believe that a Hero of Lylat is sitting here?" Ray said as he faced the audience.

I smiled; I was flattered by the comment.

"If you all remember, me and guest star John Willis spoke about the news on Kevin Michelson and the rest of Star Fox when they arrived here a while back." Ray said. He then looked at me, "How do you feel?"

I took a deep breath, "I'm just… so relieved that this war's over; so much happened while we fought for my home." I felt emotions stir up inside of me. Excitement, joy, and fear all circled in my head and body.

Ray looked down at some papers, "Now I understand that this is a sensitive subject for you. Audience, please accept this."

He shuffled the papers quickly, "Okay, so what happened exactly? What caused this war?"

I cleared my throat, "The war was based on the anger that Wolf had on me. I think it started when I nearly killed him on Fortuna. The team was investigating a strange satellite reading coming from one of the abandoned bases. When we got there, Wolf had set up shop with his army; after we took out his forces, his team showed up to stop us. He shot me down, but I found my way to the enemy base and hijacked a tank. I was incredibly close to getting him, but he escaped with mere seconds to live. I don't know if I can say exactly how he escaped, so I'll just keep that to myself."

Ray was surprised; "Wow" he looked at the audience, "Tough kid!"

I nodded, "That's right"

Ray looked over the papers, "You mind telling the audience your age?"

I nodded, "Not at all" I looked out to the people, "I'm 16"

The audience started to clap and cheer, "On my planet, it's counted as a minor. I'm not sure what it is here though."

Ray answered quickly, "You're borderline adult. Seventeen is the legal age."

I nodded, "The more you know"

Ray laughed along with the audience.

"So, the news said that you received hate when you first arrived on Corneria. Is that true in any way?" Ray asked.

I nodded, "Yes and no" I said, "I got mixed emotions. When I started to train here, Fox took me to the Cornerian Defense Force Academy. The students didn't mind me at all; in fact they found me interesting."

Ray nodded, "So training that day went well?"

I nodded and smiled, "Oh yeah" I chuckled, "I remember this group of students that Fox and I surprised. We went to the simulators and found out that a class was using them. The instructor saw us and asked if we could put the class to the test. Fox saw nothing wrong with it, so we jumped in the spare machines and popped into their simulation."

Ray chuckled, "I bet they were shocked"

I shrugged, "I think I was more shocked. I literally had no combat training; the only thing I knew was how to control a ship. When we got in, it took the two of us a mere four minutes to take down the opposing squad."

The audience chuckled slightly.

"Don't get me wrong, they were excellent pilots; I was almost shot down actually. But the whole time, they were freaking out about how they were being beat by a couple of AI's. But they were pretty stunned to see Fox and I exit." I explained, "If you're wondering how we beat them, it's because I blew the last two pilots up with a smart bomb."

The crowd chuckled.

Ray smiled, "Very nice" he cleared his throat, "Okay so what about Wolf. How did you even find out about his secret army?"

I thought of the best way to say it. I was used to keeping secrets like this on Earth. The government hid lots of things from the public, so I decided to do the same on Corneria.

"Well…" I said, "…we were on a scouting mission. I was giving Fox cover while he went into the base to retrieve the intel. He got it with no problem, but I was captured when Wolf discovered my sniping position. He took me prisoner and left me to be killed by two guards" I paused and raised my arms, "Big mistake on his part."

The crowd started to laugh.

"The second they raised their guns, I spun around and kicked one to the ground. I then head but the second and grabbed the key. Once I was free, I got my armor and headed out." I explained.

Ray looked amazed, "Damn" he said as he looked at the papers, "Now for a serious question."

I nodded, "Fire away"

Ray nodded back, "Why wasn't the war shorter? Didn't you have the full support of the Earth armies?"

I shook my head, "No… no we didn't. Like I said in my news interview with the team, Wolf corrupted all the armies except for the three that helped stop him."

Ray was stunned, "Wow, so Wolf was really serious about revenge."

I nodded, "Yes" I cleared my throat, "At first, the armies were with us. And we were sent to the separate countries to set up shop. But that was Wolfs plan; have the team split to the different countries and have the armies turn against them. Thankfully, Falco was able to escape his ambush and warn the other about the plan."

Ray looked up at the cameras, "Falco, you are one tough bird."

"Any more questions?" I asked.

Ray cleared his throat, "Feel free to back out of the question if you feel it necessary." He said, "What happened with you and Wolf. During your fight, what happened that cost you your leg and hand?"

I looked down and started to feel a little uneasy. I pushed the feeling aside and answered the question.

I let out a deep exhale, "Well" I said as I thought about the question, "I entered the base, found that the final member of Wolf's elite team was keeping Wolf hidden. I found this member and killed him after he revealed to me Wolf's location."

I thought about what I said. This made me sound awful.

I looked up at the crowd, "Feel free to judge me on that. That was an action done by my… evil side. I couldn't contain the fact that my home was being destroyed by some power hungry animal." I shook my head, "Anyway… once he was out of the way, I went down to Wolf. We fought for a good amount of time. I nearly got him when he activated a nuclear self-destruct." I explained, "After he set the timer, I ran to him. He grabbed my fist and shattered it; he threw me to a wall and grabbed his blaster." I inhaled, "This is where I owe my life to Krystal."

Ray nodded, "The news said that she saved you."

I nodded slowly, "Yes, she says that we're even now since I saved her first. But I don't think so." I sniffled, "Anyway, when he fired time just slowed down. I heard my named being yelled and I looked over. I saw a staff like object flying towards me. I immediately knew it was Krystal's staff. I caught it with my good hand and slammed it to the ground, allowing the shield to go up. I yelled for Krystal to leave and got back up once the shot was deflected."

Ray and audience were silent and shocked. They seemed amazed at the story and they seemed sorry almost. Some had their hands over their mouths and others even had tears going down from their eyes.

I shook my head, "The next part is too graphic. All I will say is that Wolf was killed… in a very horrid and painful way. On my planet, punishment is placed on how severe the crime is." My voice started to shake, "Wolf's crime, wasting the lives of millions of innocent souls and troops, was so severe that he deserved to die in the worst possible way."

Ray shook his head, "I understand this is difficult for you. You can stop if you'd like."

I nodded, "It's fine..." I said. I wiped my face from a single tear that had dropped, "On my planet, we believe in a higher power. We call this power "God", the creator of life and everything we know." I explained, "With this life, he had to make a place to store the souls of the deceased; live a good life and be sent to paradise known as 'heaven', but live a sinful life and be sent to torture an eternity in 'hell'."

Ray seemed interested.

"Wolf now burns in hell with its master. He died on my planet, so he faces the consequences of what we believe there. It may sound odd to Corneria, but it was sturdy on my planet until Wolf invaded. He doing this shattered the belief." I explained.

Ray looked back at the papers, "Thank you very much for sharing your story with Lylat." Ray said.

He then faced towards the camera, "I have a message to send out to all those that believe Kevin is a bad guy." Ray said, "What he said today was very thorough and detailed. He came here to prove to everyone that he is not the monster you think he is. Kevin Michelson is a hero of Lylat, why would he be a monster?"

I decided to go in, "I and the team may have done some horrid things to stop Wolf. I even told you all that I gave no mercy to my enemies, but its war! I fight it to protect. I did this, not only to save my planet, but to also keep Corneria from starting a war with an even more powerful enemy than the Aparoids."

Ray looked over to me, "Listen to Kevin, he experienced this first hand along with Star Fox."

I nodded.

Ray then cleared his throat once more, "Final question, how are you and the team. Are you guys getting enough rest?"

I wiped my face, "By the way, thank you for moving to a less serious subject. I appreciate it."

Ray smiled, "Don't mention it."

I nodded, "Anyway, the team is doing great. We're getting our deserved rest and we're living a normal life now."

"Excellent to know that our heroes are relaxed and safe; it's the best news we can get from you all returning from something as serious as this." Ray said.

I smiled, "I'm just grateful that Corneria is assisting in the clean-up."

Ray shuffled his papers, "Okay, enough with my questions, let's get some from the audience."

The crowd then started to yell and raise their arms in the air.

"Go ahead and choose who you want!" Ray said over the yelling.

I looked out and found a few people I decided to pick. The first was a yellow furred feline. I pointed to him and signaled him to speak.

"You mention that you are such a young age. Really, 16 years is very young to be doing what you do. Anyway, seeing as how you are so young, how did you leave Earth?"

I was intrigued, "Very good question." I cleared my throat, "Well, when the shuttle arrived at my house, Fox gave a simple yes or no question; do I want to go along? My mother was not home, she was on a business trip at the time. Since I had a rough life and that I wished for a do-over, I took it. I thought about all the struggles I had, the life I had, and then I remembered how badly I wanted to try again. Joining the team was the only way I was to get this. There are other reasons, but I will not say for the protection of you." I couldn't tell the public about their existence in a video game back on earth; it would cause so much controversy.

The feline looked confused, "Protect?"

I nodded, "Yes, it's a reason that would really affect society. A secret I must keep for the greater good."

The feline just looked at me and sat down.

Ray spoke up, "We have time for one more question."

The crowd suddenly started to yell once more. I found the second person I wanted to call on and pointed to him. The cameras moved over to face him. He was a tall, thin, red fox.

"Earth is basically destroyed, yes?" He asked.

I slowly nodded, "Most of the cities there were destroyed, and others still stand."

The fox continued, "How about your family?"

The question hit me, it hit me hard. I had forgotten all about my mother and the rest of my family. Was she safe; were my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents safe?

I pondered the sudden realization, "Um…" I stammered, "…I couldn't… I couldn't really say. I haven't been there and we left immediately after the base detonated. I didn't have the time or ability to check on them."

I looked down at my robotic leg, and then my robotic hand. "I assume that they are all fine. I remember my countries leader saying he had put them in protection." I was quiet for a second. I quickly convinced myself of a simple answer, "They are safe. I know my family very well, and they would have gone into hiding the second they heard of my departure from Earth."

Ray spoke up, "Thank you very much for your question. You guys are just awesome with helping Kevin with life here." Ray extended his hand, "That's all the time we have for our interview with Lylat Hero Kevin Michelson; stay tuned for our next guest Morris Greenman." Ray looked over to me and extended his hand, "Thank you so much for being here; it really was an honor having you on the show."

I nodded and smiled, "Thank you for having me and helping me clear my name."

Ray looked at the cameras, "We'll be back with our next guest after this commercial break."

The two of us got up as the camera lights turned off. The crowd started to clap and cheer loudly.

"Let's head backstage. We're on break anyway." Ray said as he headed off the stage.

I followed after him and waved as the crowd continued to cheer and yell.

"So what'd you think?" Ray asked as I met him in the hall.

I shrugged, "That was awesome. I really think this helped a lot."

Ray smiled, "Definitely, people out there won't see you as the monster they thought you were anymore."

I nodded, "Thank you very much for that message. I really appreciated it."

Ray gave me a smile, "That was nothing. I only spoke what I felt; it's what I do."

I nodded, "Well, thank you for having me." I looked at my communicator, it was now 7:30 A.M. "I have a lot more time on my hands." I said.

Ray spoke up after he finished drinking his water, "You have other plans?"

I nodded, "Yes, I actually have a date."

Ray seemed surprised, "Wow, really? So much hate and you find one person that liked you?"

I smiled, "Actually two; they helped me when some people crowded around me."

Ray nodded, "Very nice, good to see there are some people here that are social."

I nodded back, "I have to get to the hospital now. A friend ended up there after a fight."

Ray shook his head and shrugged, "No problem; good luck living on here." He said as I walked away.

I turned and waved, "Thanks"

I then walked out the front door. To my surprise, hardly anyone was outside the building. A few news reporters were giving a report as I walked by. Thankfully, they didn't see me, and I made it to my car in peace.

_To Be Continued…_

_Sorry this took a while. I had that training session last week, which kept me from writing. Anyway, a lot of work was put into this and I feel it paid off well. Next chapter should be up soon. It will be a bit shorter since it is less dramatic. _

_Until next time…_


	6. Chapter 6: A Day to Remember Part 2

_Welcome back guys! I have thought about this 'huge' idea I have. After some time thinking, I believe it's a huge step forward in my career as a writer; not only will it evolve my style, but also the idea of it is great! I REALLY like this Universe I made and I feel there is so much I can do with it. When I say more, I mean MORE! Anyway… the blog has been relocated to a new sub-domain; webstarts… address is sciencefictionstories. webstarts. com _

_On with the story!_

**Chapter 6: A Day to Remember Part 2**

After seeing the amount of time I had to kill, I decided to visit Will in the hospital. I didn't know his last name, so finding him may be a bit difficult. As I was making my way to the hospital, I looked at the enormous buildings; they we extremely tall and had hologram signs along the front sides. This downtown area kind of resembled Times Square, but with more buildings, much bigger, and had a more future feel. I loved the scene so much; it just fit me so well. As I drove in in front of the hospital, I entered the parking structure. I quickly found a spot on the ground level. Once I was satisfied with how I had parked, I exited and headed for the main entrance.

"I hope they let me see him." I said to myself as I was walking out of the structure.

I entered through the sliding doors and walked up to the counter. The same woman that was working the day I brought Will in was behind the desk.

I walked up and got her attention.

"Excuse me" I said.

She looked up and gasped, "Oh my"

I pushed the reaction aside, "I'm here to see Will."

She smiled and looked at her holo screen, "Last name?"

I shook my head, "I don't know it."

She shook her head back, "Then I won't be able to find him in our system."

I thought about what to do. Then I remembered that she saw me bring him in.

"He's the one I rushed in." I said. "Does that help?"

She nodded, "Oh, I remember. His name is Will Palmer."

I nodded slowly, "Ooohh, I never did get his name when we met."

She shrugged, "I'm sure since he was badly wounded." She typed a few things, "He's in room 132 on floor number two."

I nodded, "Thank you"

I walked over to the elevator. I pressed the button and waited for it to get to the lobby. While I was waiting, I was approached by two children. I looked over at them; they were both white vulpine and they seemed to be in their teenage years.

"Are you Kevin Michelson?" One asked.

I looked down at myself, "I'm the only human here, so yeah." I joked.

They looked at each other, "Wow, you're taller in person."

I chuckled, "Yes, yes I am." I cleared my throat, "How old are you two?" I asked.

"15" the shorter replied.

"15" the taller said as well.

I was surprised, "Huh, you two are a year younger than me."

They looked incredibly surprised, "You're sixteen?!"

I nodded with a smile, "Yes, I am sixteen. But I'm seventeen in I think a few months; I lost track of time since the war."

The shorter one spoke up, "You don't look sixteen. You look 19."

I agreed with him; I did always have a feeling of looking older than I already am. My mother even said I looked older than my age.

"I think the same thing." I replied, "So what brings you to here?"

The shorter spoke, "Our mom is about to give birth to our brother."

I smiled and nodded, "Awesome"

The taller spoke, "What about you?"

I looked at the elevator, "I'm here to see a friend. He was hurt and I saved him." I looked back at the two boys.

"Wait, someone on the team was hurt? Who?" The shorter said.

I laughed, "No, no, no one on the team was…" I then remembered the incident with Krystal. She nearly died that day if I hadn't have befriended the two guards. "… hurt."

The two looked confused, "Are you okay?"

I shook my head, "Yeah, I'm fine."

The shorter one had a concerned look, "Are you sure? You can tell us if you want."

I shook my head again, "No it's fine."

The taller spoke up, "Now you have us curious. Can you please tell us?"

I sighed, I had a feeling that I couldn't get out of this, "Fine, if you must really know." I thought of the quickest way to tell them.

"We were infiltrating an enemy base on Earth. I was sent in as recon along with Falco; our mission was to blow the base sky high. Anyway; once we had the charges planted, we ran into someone. This man was probably the most dangerous person I had ever fought. He was the leader for the base, and when Falco and I tried to leave, he used some type of powers on us; mind powers, telepathy like Krystal. I used my helmet to block it, but Falco was badly beaten and had to retreat. I was left alone to fight this psychotic and powerful man. Unfortunately, he won and took me prisoner. I woke up and found myself in a cell. He had two guards with him when he visited. My armor was missing along with my blaster and communicator. He walked away and had the two guards enter the cell to kill me. I quickly subdued them and escaped. But I needed armor, my old one was destroyed. I blackmailed the two guards into giving me a code so that I could get the new armor. I got it and sparred the two their lives." I said.

"Wow" the two said in sync.

I smiled, "Anyway… when I had the armor, I turned on the helmet to blend in with everyone. When I reached the empty room with the elevator, Krystal was standing in there. Seeing my helmet, she freaked out and immediately attacked me. Since the helmet wouldn't deactivate, I had no choice but to fight her." I explained.

"Wait, you hurt her?" The shorter one asked.

By this time, a whole group of people were encircled around me listening to the story. They were all so intrigued by it.

I chuckled, "No, I was able to beat her without hurting her."

"Oh, please keep going. I like this story." The shorter one said.

I smiled, "Anyway…" I said in a louder voice for the crowd to hear, "… after I pinned her, the helmet deactivated. She saw it was me and stopped the fighting. We both then went into the elevator and headed for the surface." I paused, "You all know that she is telepath, and that she is the last of the Cerinian race?"

The crowd nodded simultaneously.

"Well, on our way up, she sensed a powerful force waiting for us. The man I fought earlier turned out to be a telepath as well, and was also Cerinian; the only other Cerinian in existence. Anyway, when the doors opened, he was waiting for us. He ran for us and beat us both down. He was more skilled with his telepathy than Krystal, so he knew our every move." I sighed, "This is where I was scared to death." I cleared my throat, "He ran after Krystal when he knocked me back. I took the chance and tried to spin kick his gut. But to my surprise, he sensed the thought and countered it with tremendous speed and knocked me out cold. When I awoke not much later, I found him beating Krystal so hard that she was bleeding badly and was losing consciousness. I arose to my feet in pain. He dropped Krystal like nothing and walked towards me. Thinking of something to do, I remembered this special gadget called 'The Wave'. It gives me speed, agility, and even bends time around me so that it seems like everything is slow. It is a one-time use gadget, so I used the charge and activated it. Once I was set, I ran for the man and beat him to the ground. I had beaten him so badly that he lost consciousness."

The crowd gasped a little.

"After I saw him lying on the ground, I ran for Krystal. She was still on the floor, bleeding. I picked her up and saw no signs of life. We are close friends, so I couldn't hold in the fact that she was gone. I lost it so bad, that when the man got back up from his beating, I ran to him and finished him by breaking his back and…" I looked at the kids, "…finishing him."

The kids seemed astonished, "She made it through?"

I nodded, "Yes she's fine thanks to the two guards I subdued. They were so glad that I didn't take their lives that they offered to help heal Krystal and hide us in the base for rest."

I looked back and found people inside the elevator, holding the open button and listening to the story.

"Now for me?" I said as I held my left, robotic hand up. "That's a whole other story."

"Can you give us a summary?" a person from the crowd said.

I chuckled, "Here's a quick one; Wolf did this. He shattered my hand." I turned to the people in the elevator, "Excuse me."

The people in the elevator cleared out and went into the lobby area. As I closed the doors, I heard the crowd start to clap. The sounds of the claps faded once the elevator moved towards the second floor. When I reached it, the doors slid open. I walked out and over to the receptionist. He recognized me almost immediately.

"Kevin Michelson, I was told you were on your way up." The man said, "Will Palmer is in room 132; just go down this hallway, he should be the third door on the right."

I nodded, "Thank you"

I walked down the small hall and looked at the door plates. I counted the right ones as I made my way down; 124, 126, 128, 130. Once I saw the plate with 132 on it, I tapped the open icon on the panel. The door slid open. Inside the room, there was a grey vulpine lying in bed. I walked in and sat down in a chair next to the bed.

"Hey Will" I said softly.

He slowly opened his eyes and looked over at me. "Well hey there." He said in his weak voice.

I smiled, "How you coming along?" I asked.

He shrugged slightly, "Still in some pain, can't get out of bed, but still going."

I nodded, "That's the spirit."

He then slightly re-positioned himself, "You know you didn't have to save me."

I shook my head, "But it's my duty as a Hero of Lylat. I can't watch someone get hurt and leave them, it's not in my nature."

He smiled, "Yeah, those guys were assholes. I didn't even do anything to them."

I shrugged, "Maybe you intimidated them with you going into the alley."

He closed his eyes, "Maybe, I just needed to go through there as a short cut."

I had an odd feeling about what he was saying. I couldn't tell why, but it felt like he was lying to me. Unless the people that attacked him were only intimidated, he couldn't have needed it as a shortcut.

I sighed, "Why did you really go through there?" I said.

He shook his head slightly, "I swear, I needed a shortcut."

I nodded my head, "Riiight"

He sighed, "Fine, I needed to pay off some debt."

I was intrigued, "Gang debt?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I was owed the Lylat's Devils some money because of a small run with a rival gang. I was blamed for what was lost."

I was surprised; I would have never guessed he was involved in gang related affairs. He seemed like a nice person, so I never thought of the possibility.

"I'm guessing you didn't have the money in time?" I asked.

He nodded slowly.

I sighed, "I get you're in deep with this. And I can't really do anything to help you. All I can tell you is to pay it off and leave; stay away from them as much as possible."

Will nodded and sighed, "I know, as soon as I have their money, I'm leaving Corneria."

I liked the way he was thinking. Getting away from these people wouldn't be easy, but leaving the planet is a start.

"Where do you plan on going?" I asked.

He shrugged, "Maybe Zonnes or even Papetoon. There are some colonies on Zonnes that are nice I hear."

I nodded, "I've heard similar. Maybe Papetoon is a better choice."

He looked at me, "Why is that?"

I looked at the clock that was on the wall across the room, "Fox is from there."

He raised an eyebrow, "Really?'

I nodded, "Yeah, I never asked him how it was because a rumor says that his mother was killed on the planet. I never wanted to try and confirm it though."

Will then shifted his position slightly, "I'll just have to look into it then."

I nodded again, "Yeah" I looked at my communicator; the clock on it read 8:23 a.m.

Will looked at me, "You have somewhere to be?" He asked.

I nodded, "Mhm, I have to go get ready for a date."

He seemed surprised, "A date? With who?"

I smiled at his reaction, "Rose"

Will looked even more surprised, "Rose? The girl from the mob?"

I nodded and smiled, "Yes sir"

Will shifted and sat up slightly, "When did this happen?" He asked with a smile.

I chuckled, "After you left the building, I spoke with her. It ended with me asking her to dinner."

Will started to laugh slightly, "I'm glad you two are actually meeting each other. You seem like a nice couple since she seems to be around your age."

I raised an eyebrow, "You really think she's that close to me?"

Will nodded, "Yeah, you're 16, and she looks to be 17."

I pondered the thought; at most I would think she's 18 or even 19. Nonetheless, I was lucky with my decision; Rose seemed incredibly nice and was, to me, beautiful in every way.

I softly patted Will on his shoulder, "Get well soon"

He nodded, "Oh don't worry I'll be fine."

I smiled and exited the room. Once I walked out, I retraced my steps and led myself out into the lobby area for the floor. I looked left and found the elevator, pressed the button, and entered when it opened up. I tapped the main lobby icon on the panel and started my decent down to the first floor. When the doors slid open, I was shocked to see people with cameras and news reporters.

"Aw shit…" I said to myself quietly.

Out of nowhere, I heard a stray voice yell out, "There's Kevin!"

As soon as the voice finished, the cameras and reporters rushed over to the elevator I was in.

"No no no no" I thought to myself over and over. The doors slid closed, I heard the reporters still yelling their questions even with the closed door. I pressed the top floor button, which led to the roof. The elevator then started to move upward at a quick rate.

"These guys are like vultures…" I said to myself.

The doors slid open and revealed a short hallway. It wasn't part of the hospital, with only one door at the end saying 'stairs'. I walked out and down to the door. I opened it and found stairs that led either up to the roof, or down to the lower levels. I went up and found a locked door that said 'roof'.

"Damn" I said to myself.

I checked the lock that was on it, it had a special key code to enter. Seeing no way out, I remembered something about my communicator. Ever since it synced with the new armor, it was given new abilities. Whenever I hacked into something, the communicator was the core of it.

I thought to myself, "Maybe the hack will work without the armor?"

I raised my communicator and entered the scanner. I scanned the door lock and initiated the hack. Thankfully, the hack worked perfectly. After a scan of possible codes, I was given the correct one needed to open the door: 18956. I typed the same code into the panel and watched the door slide open. I walked out and onto the roof. I walked all the way to the edge and leaned against the concrete wall that was about waist high.

I thought about the situation I was in. I couldn't get out because of these people swarming me. My car was all the way on the ground level, so I couldn't get near it. I wasn't wearing my armor, so I didn't have any of my gadgets that could help me. And my Arwing was destroyed along with my jet, so I couldn't fly out of here.

"Beltino may have something." I suddenly told myself.

I contacted him immediately and awaited his response. After a minute passed, he initiated the link.

"How can I help you, Kevin?" he asked as soon as his hologram appeared.

I scratched my neck, "I could use a little help."

He looked worried, "What seems to be the problem."

I cleared my throat, "Well… um… I'm stuck at the hospital because every news station in Lylat is at the door waiting for me."

Beltino shook his head, "Typical paparazzi."

I continued my sentence, "Anyway, I was wondering if you had anything that could fly by the roof of the hospital."

Beltino nodded, "Of course, we actually have your replacement Arwing with some new tech ready."

I was surprised to hear the words 'new tech'.

"Really? What kind of tech?" I asked.

Beltino fixed his glasses, "Well why you were on Earth, Slippy sent me all the intel and data you retrieved. Most of what he sent composed of either technology or general intel on base locations. Using this, and hearing of your downed Arwing, we made a new type of Arwing. One with a highly updated auto piloting system, advanced shielding, minor super-computer, advanced Hyper Laser Systems, updated G-Diffusion, and added energy cell capacity."

I was stunned to hear this; it was like Christmas!

"Wow, that's a pretty damn well job then." I said.

Beltino nodded and chuckled, "Just activate your homing beacon and your new Arwing III will find you."

I did as he said and turned my homing beacon on.

Beltino looked at something off display, "Okay, the Arwing has registered you and is on its way. Let me know how it flies and how the computer works out."

I nodded, "Sure thing, Michelson out." I ended the communication.

I waited a mere few seconds when I saw the blue light fly through the sky. As it neared, I saw that it was the newly created Arwing III. I stepped back as it landed in front of me and opened the canopy. I jumped into it and closed it up. Once I was in, the computer greeted me.

"Greetings, Kevin Michelson." The computer said in a robotic feminine tone, "I am your new on-board computer. I am not as advanced as you may think; I can speak in complete conversations, but only in commands and any scanner readings."

I nodded, "Incredible"

The computer spoke, "Yes, Beltino said the same thing when they perfected my database."

I was stunned at how fluent the computer was speaking. It was like an actual person, minus the endless conversation topics.

"Hm, I should probably test your abilities then." I said.

The computer replied quickly, "Go on and give me a command."

I thought about it. The last computer was able to do bio scans in short ranges and also scan for other potential threats.

"Scan the building for bio signatures. Target the ground floor lobby specifically." I commanded.

"Affirmative, commencing scan." The computer buzzed. After a few seconds, the scan was finished, "Scan show a high collection of life forms in hospital lobby. After a further scan, I can conclude that they are all from public information studios, or news stations if you will." The computer explained.

I was absolutely stunned now, "Beltino and his team did a damn good job with you."

"Should we be leaving? Further analysis states that they are here because of you. After number crunching the possibilities, it is the only plausible reason." The computer stated.

I nodded, "Yeah, we should head back. I can get the car later."

I grabbed the controls and took off into the sky. I wasn't very far from the estate, so it only took me a few seconds to fly over it. Since it was such a flight, I decided that since I had so much extra time, I could test out the new Arwing.

"Computer, is this Arwing opted for space travel?" I asked.

The computer quickly replied, "Yes, this Arwing is not in the prototype stage and is the final version. All past abilities are available."

I smiled, "Good, cause I'm going to have to test this out very quickly."

"Should I adjust the G-Diffusers for high atmosphere or space?" the computer asked.

The Arwing would usually be used more in space, so I thought why not.

"Space" I answered.

"Adjusting Diffusers now." The computer replied.

I then pushed the thrust forward and flew through the sky vertically. After some time, I reached the out layer of Corneria's atmosphere.

"Approaching atmosphere limit; suggesting an increase of speed to break through." The computer said.

I smiled once more, "Very well; divert all weapon power to engines."

"Power diverted" the computer quickly replied.

The Arwing III then quickly increased speed. I was going much faster than the previous Arwing II model. I wasn't entirely surprised; the Arwing II was used during the Aparoid Invasion, about three years ago. A few seconds passed when I broke through the atmosphere.

"Okay, we're going to try control. Beltino wanted me to test it out for him, so I might as well do it now." I said.

I then imagined an enemy fighter in front of me. I tried to think of a perfect flight plan, using all the memories I have of chasing ships: a lot of turning, diving, rolling, and such. After I thought of a good plan, I pushed the throttle and started doing all the little tricks.

I banked right hard and pulled back. The Arwing banked with no issues and even felt more flawless than the Arwing II. I came out of the sharp bank and I flew into a steep climb. I continued and tried to loop. To my surprise, the loops were a lot sharper and had a much less diameter.

"Okay, it flies pretty well. Divide the power back to its original areas." I said.

"Power diverted" the computer said.

The weapon systems came back online. I activated them and fired freely out into space. The ship was equipped with the newly upgraded Hyper Lasers. I fired several times and saw that the lasers had a new color to them. Instead of the blue color, they now had a white color.

"Interesting color for lasers." I said.

The computer spoke, "The color is uncontrollable. It is this way because of the added materials used to create the lasers. These materials happen to be what give these their added power."

I nodded, "Fair enough"

I was happy to see how well this Arwing handled. I was even happier that a small super computer was implemented in each one. I loved it all, so I decided to end the small test.

"Computer, can you establish a communications line with Beltino?" I asked aloud.

The AI replied, "Establishing line" a few seconds passed, "Line established."

"Beltino, I have some good news for you." I said as I dove back down towards the planet.

Beltino had a confused face, "What is it?"

I smiled, "The Arwing III is amazing. The weapons have a nice change. The handling is stellar; better than the Arwing II. And this computer is very useful."

Beltino chuckled and nodded, "It's good to see that our new creation is working perfectly." Beltino paused and then suddenly blurted out, "Oh my goodness, I almost forgot to tell you."

I was a bit surprised, "What did you forget?" I asked.

"The Arwing III has a cloaking device. It is still in its prototype stage, but it works near perfect. Try activating it now." Beltino told me.

I nodded and saw no problem with trying, "Okay, you heard Beltino computer. Activate the cloaking device."

The AI replied quickly, "Cloaking device activated. I suggest a secession of speed in order for it to work."

Beltino continued off of it, "Yes, the cloaking device only has full effect at lower speeds. It uses light bending technology, so speed is everything when on stealth missions.

I nodded, "Okay, I understand."

Apparently not even the most advanced race has full stealth tech yet. I was a bit surprised, I guess the info Slippy sent him was faulty because Wolf and his team had perfect stealth cloaking.

"I sent someone down to the hospital to retrieve your vehicle. He should arrive at the estate soon." Beltino added.

I smiled, "Thank you; saves me the trouble of facing those reporters."

Beltino nodded, "No problem."

The communications line then cut off. By this time, we were already nearing the surface.

"Sir, I should tell you that G-Diffuser adjustment has been set to automatic." The AI said.

I thought about how this new machine was only getting better and better.

"Awesome" I replied.

I pulled up and slowed down greatly. I was a few meters above the estate. I looked over and slowly landed the Arwing in the large lawn out in front of the building. Once I was on the ground in hover mode. I deactivated the systems and jumped out of the ship. I landed on the round and was met by the team walking out.

"Hey you got your Arwing already?" Fox asked from the door.

I nodded and yelled back, "Yeah, pretty neat isn't it?"

Suddenly, the Arwing started to ascend. It was a few meters high when it took off towards the city. I looked at it and thought nothing of it. Beltino only sent a command for it to return to Space Dynamics. However, the team didn't know of any of this.

Falco was the first to speak, "Um… was I the only one that saw that?"

Fox spoke next, "No, I saw it. How did it do that?" he asked.

I laughed, "I would introduce you, but it's a bit late now. But say hello to the new Arwing Model III. It's fully packed with upgraded shields, cloaking, the new Ultra Laser systems, and a small super computer AI."

Slippy's jaw dropped, "This is what my dad could make with the info I sent him?"

I nodded and chuckled, "Yeah, the handling in that thing is unlike the Arwing II. So smooth and precise, and the lasers are white instead of blue."

"What about the computer?" Slippy asked.

"Oh, it has conversation capabilities. It can take almost any order you give it. Whether it is to communicate, divert power, G-Diffuser adjustment, which can be automatic, or scanning."

Krystal seemed amazed, "Wow, all the Arwings have this?"

I nodded, "Yes, the one that just took off is one of two now. They can only produce one at a time because of the technology. It's so fragile and new I guess."

The team then headed back in. I followed after them and into the living room area. They were all watching the news before I arrived. I sat in the center of the main couch, while Fox and Falco were on either side of me.

Fox spoke up, "So we watched the interview. You did pretty well."

I smiled uncontrollably, "Thanks, it was kind of nerve racking to say the least."

Falco then slapped my back, "Ah, don't worry about it; at least you got your word out."

I nodded, 'Yeah that's true."

Krystal suddenly spoke up, "And Kevin, we are even. You saved me, so I returned the favor. You don't need to worry about it."

I chuckled, "Well technically, we're not even. If one of us is in trouble, we're bound to help."

Krystal nodded and chuckled as well, "Well you got me there."

I looked at my communicator. The clock on it read 12:00 p.m.

Falco spoke up, "So when's your date?"

I was a bit embarrassed. This kind of stuff was somewhat personal; speaking about it in front of everyone made me feel like a third grader who's secret about having a crush was out.

Krystal quickly cut in, "Falco, Kevin may feel personal with that."

I laughed, "No Krystal, it's fine really." I looked at Falco, "I leave around 6:30."

Falco smiled and nodded his head slowly, "What's her name?"

I chuckled, "Her name is Rose. She's a white feline."

Fox then cut in, "Where'd you meet her?"

I could tell that they were playing with me now. "I met her in front of Space Dynamics. She was walking away from the door and stood up with me when the crowd came out of nowhere."

Falco added, "What are you gonna do?"

Krystal started to chuckle, "Guys, really? Leave him alone."

Falco shrugged, "What? We're just messing with him."

Fox spoke up, "If you think about it, he and Rose are the very first interspecies couple."

I had just then realized that. I was the first human to be a couple with someone of a different species, and at such a young age.

"You're right" I said.

Falco cut in, "Better not mess up." He then patted my shoulder.

I knew that I wasn't going to mess up. I wasn't the same person that I was on Earth. I was a new Kevin Michelson that didn't mess up. I knew what I was doing and I was confident of doing so. Rose seemed very nice, and I was also very nice, so I saw no issues that could arise during the date. Either way, good date or bad date, I was excited.

Today was the day that could change my life.

_To be Continued…_

_Whew! It's time for the date! I am currently trying everything I learned from Kit Karamak for the date. So expect a nice read for the next chapter. _

_Also, I'm so sorry that it took so long to get the chapter up. I had work and also the training I underwent. I was working on this book, but very lightly throughout the last two weeks. Because of this delay, I cannot say for sure when the next chapter will be up. Maybe by the end of this week (Sunday) of by next week (Tuesday or Wednesday)._

_Be sure to review and tell me what you think. I always need your feedback to keep me going. And don't forget to favorite and follow if you liked it. _

_Until next time…_


	7. Chapter 7: A Date With Rose

_I'm so sorry I had you guys wait for this chapter. I didn't mean for the last chapter to end where it did, but moving onto the date in that would be a huge jump from subject. But hey, at least you got a cliffhanger (eh, not really). So because I had you all wait, I will make sure that this chapter is everything you'd expect and more. Really though, you'll love this one. _

_On with the story!_

**Chapter 7: A Date with Rose **

Fox, Falco and I all walked through the estate door and into the living area. We had just gotten back from a local pub. We had the time to kill, so Fox decided that we'd all go down to the bar. Slippy didn't join us because he had wanted to assist with the repair of my armor and research of it. While we were at the small bar, we talked about our plans and how we would spend our share of the credits. Pepper had paid the team an astounding 700,000 credits. Fox then forwarded an equal share to the teams separate accounts. Even with our good amount of wealth, we didn't blow it all off on beer and alcohol. We monitored our drinking to a very low. I was the one that watched carefully since it was the first time I had consumed beer. I had just recently realized that my time keeping was far too off. I thought my birthday was months away, but in fact it had already passed - making me 17 years old. Either way, it was illegal on Earth for me to drink, so I was careful.

I sighed as I flopped down into the couch, "That wasn't bad at all. I didn't think the beer would be so good here."

Fox chuckled, "I figured it'd be nice for us to just chill. Too bad Slip didn't go."

Falco nodded as he flopped down as well, "Ahhh, Slip's just a party killer. He never wants to do things." He was a tad tipsy, but wasn't out of control.

I laughed at his words, "Someone's gonna have a hangover."

Falco shrugged, "I'm used to 'em."

I looked down at my communicator. The three of us had been out for a while; it was already 6:00.

I was a bit stunned at the sight, "Oh crap" I exclaimed.

Fox looked up at me, "What's wrong?"

I showed him the clock, "It's 6!" I then quickly got up and headed up stairs.

Fox yelled from behind, "Relax, you have an hour!"

I continued my little jog up. When I reached the top, Krystal walked out of her room.

"Oh you're all back. I thought I sensed someone." She said.

I nodded and ran into my room, closing the door behind me. I walked over to my closet quickly and opened it up. Since we were going to dinner, I picked out something nice to wear. It wasn't too fancy and wasn't too casual. I picked out a white dress shirt and some black jeans; I then grabbed a black formal jacket. It wasn't like the ones you get with a tuxedo, but more of a jacket you get for less formal events.

I put the articles of clothing on my bed and started to undress. I took my shirt off and slipped the white shirt on and buttoned it up. I then slipped my pants off and put the black jeans on. I tucked the shirt in and slipped the formal jacket on over. The jacket didn't button all the way, only two close together at the base of the jacket. Once I was comfortable in the cloths, I walked over to my closet and looked in the mirror. I liked what I saw and felt ready. It was the first date I would ever go on, and it was with someone of a different species.

"I can't mess this up." I said to myself. I was feeling incredibly nervous and downright sick. The thought of saying something wrong and even choking up caused me to feel unsettle.

"Come on" I said, "You can do this. Maybe she's nervous too."

I started to fill my head with positive thoughts and emotions. Eventually, I started to feel slightly better; enough to go out and wait for the right time to leave.

I took a deep breath and walked out of my room. I headed down the stairs and saw the team watching a local news report. Below the reporter was the words 'urgent update'.

"What's this?" I asked as I walked down.

Fox looked up and saw me, "They put out an alert for some crazy ass dude that's causing trouble."

I raised an eyebrow, "What kind of trouble?" I sat down in the middle of the couch and watched the holo screen.

"This reporter is saying that he was responsible for a murder a week ago. Apparently, he got away from the cops and is hiding in plain sight." Fox explained.

I sat back, "So a disguised criminal?"

Fox nodded, "Yeah, they said they have an idea of what he looks like, but they don't know if he'll change appearance."

The man was a grey avian with a large scar on his face. He even seemed a bit old.

I shrugged, "Criminals here are just as devious as on Earth."

Falco chuckled, "You mean they got away from cops?"

I shook my head, "No, I mean people on Earth did the same thing. But most of them were so stupid that they didn't put effort into their get-up."

Krystal spoke up, "Truly stupid."

I looked down at my communicator; the clock now said 6:45.

I took a deep breath once more, "Well, it's about time I head out."

I got up and headed for my upstairs. I felt that since there was a murderer on the loose, I would need extra precautions. I walked up the stairs and passed the rooms. At the end was another door; this was the estates small armory. Fox had it installed in case something bad was to happen. I opened the door and grabbed one of the D-40 pistols; I also grabbed a concealed holster. I took my jacket off and strapped the holster on. I placed the gun in it and put my jacket back on. I looked in the mirror and saw that it was completely concealed under my jacket. I headed back and downstairs. I opened the front door and stepped out.

Krystal called out from behind, "Good luck"

Falco added in, "Don't say something weird"

I was halfway to the garage when Fox stopped me.

"Hey" he said as he walked out of the house.

I turned back, "What's up?"

Fox walked up to me, "So you think you're ready?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure I'm gonna be fine."

Fox crossed his arms, "Just be careful. I'd hate to see you thrown into despair if something happened."

"Don't worry" I said, "This is the first date. What could go wrong?"

He unfolded his arms, "Just a word of advice, keep from personal talk unless she feels comfortable with it. You two hardly know each other, so I would keep back from it."

I smiled "Thanks"

"Oh, one more thing" he said, "If you want a nice dinner, I'd suggest Zuria Cuisine. Zuria's known me since I was a child. In fact she used to take care of me. Just tell her that I sent you."

I was happy that Fox and I were friends. He was always supportive to everyone and always knew what to say. Ever since I rescued him from the downed Arwing, I knew that he and I would be friends, not like this where I'm on the team, but friends.

I smiled, "And let me give you a word of advice." My smile slightly grew, "Go back inside, ask Krystal if you could speak with her privately, and ask her on a date."

Fox looked surprised, "What?"

I shook my head, "Fox, I know you like her. I know that you want to do it. And trust me, she knows too."

Fox lowered his head, "Kevin, do you know how long I've been working up the courage to do so?"

I nodded, "Ever since Sauria"

He nodded back, "Yeah"

I shook my head. I made Krystal a promise, but I hate seeing these two apart.

"Look, Krystal has been waiting for you to ask her. Trust me, I know." I finally said, "I told her I wouldn't say anything to you, but I just want the both of you happy. You two are an incredible match for each other."

Fox looked back up, "She said that?"

I smiled and nodded, "Yes, she did." I looked back at the door, "Don't worry, she can't sense what I'm telling you."

Fox smiled back, "You know how to block her out?"

I nodded, "I know how to block out more. But that's not the point; the point is that you need to go in and ask her." I paused, "Hell, why not take her to Zuria's? Rose and I are going there, so why not join us?"

Fox nodded, "Okay, fine." He sighed, "I can't believe that I'm actually doing this."

I smiled, "I'll see you at the restaurant." With that, I turned and headed into the garage.

My CTZ was halfway into it since it was dropped off by a representative at Space Dynamics. I entered the vehicle and started it up. I backed out all the way into the road and started off.

Thoughts were jumbling around in my head. I started to think about what to say and how to answer an array of questions. I even thought of what not to say. Thinking of these were putting me into a great position; not only would I be ready, but I would also be able to 'save' myself from any wrong lines.

I was already downtown and in the main road that ran through the extremely large Corneria City. I still couldn't believe how big the city itself was. If I were to guess, it was about three times the size of New York City.

I looked down the road and spotted the turn I needed to take. I reached it and went down the adjacent street. I then turned and headed down the road parallel to the main street and quickly reached the Space Dynamics building. Out in front was Rose, dressed in a stunning red dress. I parked in front of the building and got out of the vehicle. She saw me and walked over.

Her dress made her look incredible. It was a formal dress that had a light red color to it. As she was walking over to me, I walked around the car and sat on the hood. She made her way and greeted me.

"You look very nice." She said.

I got up from the hood, "You look stunning yourself." I saw her blush a little when I said that.

"Thanks" she said as she kind of looked away and smiled.

I smiled back at her, "Shall we leave?"

She grinned and nodded, "Yes we shall"

I opened the passenger door and took her hand. She got into the seat and I closed the door. I walked back around to the driver side and sat into my seat.

"So where are we going?" She asked me.

I typed in the restaurant name into the navigation unit.

"Ever heard of Zuria's Cuisine?" I asked.

Rose seemed a little shocked, "You got a reservation?"

I chuckled, "Well, somewhat. Fox helped me with that- apparently he knows the owner, Zuria."

Rose smiled, "That's nice."

I then started down the road when the navigation finished calculating the route. The restaurant was located in the middle of downtown. We made our way down to the street. Once we were in the middle of downtown, the site stunned me. I hadn't seen the downtown square. Or should I say circle. In the middle of the city was a large opening. In the center of this was a large platform with four legs reaching out to the road that circled around it. On the platform was a statue of the Star Fox team. Above the statue was a holo sign reading 'Our Heroes of Lylat, Now the Heroes of Solar As Well'. Fox, Falco, Slippy, and Peppy were all there, however two covered beings stood on either side of the group. They weren't entirely large, about a quarter the size of the circular platform they sat on. The center of downtown resembled that as seen in one of their videogames, Assault, however it was much bigger.

"Wow" I said as I looked at the statues, "I didn't even know those were there."

Rose looked as well, "They just added those not too long ago."

I nodded, "This planet just amazes me in so many ways." I said. I turned my attention back to the road; I had to go halfway around the circle to get to the restaurant, which was on the side of the road.

Rose sounded confused, "Why's that?"

I looked over at her, "Earth isn't a very advanced planet when compared to Corneria. We have large cities and cool gadgets, but this place has that tripled. Holo signs, absolutely enormous cities, a working peaceful government. It all just shows how much my species has to learn."

"And you're not happy about this?" She asked confused.

I shook my head, "No I'm actually happy. With the Cornerian work force helping with restoring Earth, our learning can speed up. Not only will having the workers there influence Earth to straighten things up, but maybe even become allies with Corneria. The planets first alien alliance."

Rose looked amazed, "Wow, I should really step up the research then."

Now I was confused, "Research?"

She nodded, "Mhm, I'll tell you about it when we get inside."

I shrugged, "Fair enough"

We finally reached the restaurant. Outside, people were waiting in line. There was a free space in front of the building, so I took it. I turned the vehicle off and exited. I got out of the driver seat and walked around to the passenger side. I opened Rose's door and let her exit. I closed the door and saw that she had extended her arm slightly. I took it and wrapped my arm around hers.

"What a gentleman." She said with a smile.

I couldn't help but smile back at her. Once we finished that, we started to walk to the door. While we were walking, I could hear people switch their conversations over to us.

"Is that Kevin Michelson?" I overheard someone say.

The jumbled murmur then turned into the subject me being there with some woman.

We both walked inside and to the front desk.

"Hi" I said to the woman behind the counter.

She looked up at me and smiled, "Ah, you must be Kevin Michelson." She had a strong Estuary accent, almost as if she was from Paris. "Fox 'ad called me about your arrival. My name is Zuria."

I smiled, "It's a pleasure to meet you." I paused for a second, "Fox called you about me?"

She nodded, "And it is my pleasure to elp a friend of my friend." She grabbed two menus, "Suivez-moi." (Follow me) She said.

I kind of froze in my place when she said that. What she had just said was French; a language I thought only existed on my planet.

"Let's go" Rose said when she saw me in my trance.

I shook out of it, "Sorry"

Zuria looked at me, "Is somesing wrong monsieur?" (mister)

I shook my head, "No I'm fine."

She then smiled, "Don't worry, I know zee ole story. I'm sure you are still taking it as a shock."

I chuckled, "Oh good, you understand then."

She nodded, "Bien sûr, I would be shocked as well." (Of course)

I smiled.

"Now, suivez-moi." She said once more.

Rose and I followed after Zuria as she led us to a table for two. We walked by two high-end bars and two elevated seating areas; they were only a few steps up. Above the two elevated areas was a high ceiling with a large chandelier hanging over them. The restaurant had a yellow pallet to it, adding to the 'fancy'.

Zuria led us up a few steps and onto the third elevated dining area. It had a yellow rail lining the edge to keep from falling and multiple tables. The entire restaurant was packed; luckily, Zuria had a special table open for Rose and me.

"Right 'ere. I ope you two enjoy your dinner." Zuria said as Rose and I sat down at the table.

I nodded at Zuria when she handed the two of us our menus, "Thank you"

She shook her head and smiled, "Zis is no problem at all." She then leaned in to my ear and whispered, "Good luck, monsieur."

I smiled and nodded again, "Thank you so much."

Zuria then walked off.

I looked at Rose, whom was looking over the menu. I decided to do the same. All the foods had a small picture next to them. Some looked absolutely delicious, others… not so much. The food on Corneria is incredibly different from that found on Earth; the names of the ingredients, specifically wildlife based, were unlike anything I've heard of.

"Um…" I said as I looked at the menu, "…I'm not a big custom to this planet. What do you suggest?" I asked Rose.

She then showed me her menu and pointed to a very fancy looking picture, "I hear that this is incredibly delicious."

The cuisine had different types of food on the plate; there was a glazed chicken-like piece in the center with a mashed potato on top. Around it was a trail of some sauce along with a powdery substance.

"It certainly looks good." I said.

Rose nodded and smiled, "Definitely"

We both then lowered our menus when we saw our waiter approach.

"What can I get for you two today?" He asked us.

I looked at the menu, "I'll have the…" I looked at the name, "…Ratatouille?"

He nodded, "That's correct, Mr. Michelson. And what would the young lady like?"

Rose looked at me, "I'll have the same dish."

The waiter nodded, "Okay, I'll be back with your drinks."

I looked at Rose, "You are of age?"

She nodded, "I am just the right age. 17 is the appropriate age on Corneria."

I smiled, so she was the same age as me. I guess Will was right after all. But after I clarified her age, I had another question; what was her 'research'?

"Great, looks like this is a first for both of us." I said.

She looked surprised, "You're 17?"

I nodded, "Yes, but it's not the first time I have had a drink. My first time was with Fox and Falco; we went down to a local pub that Fox had been going to with the team for quite some time."

Rose nodded, "I could have sworn you were at least 20."

I chuckled, "I do get that a lot; people always saying that I look older than I really am."

She chuckled as well.

"So what's with this 'research'? I'm curious to learn about it." I said.

She nodded, "Well, you may be surprised, but I am actually an intern for Space Dynamics in the research division."

I was incredibly surprised, "Really? At 17?"

She nodded, "Yes, I had such incredible grades that Space Dynamics decided to give me a chance. I got the message and I took the offer."

"Wow" I said, "Are you working with Beltino?" I asked.

She tilted her head and shrugged, "Somewhat; I don't really work with him, but I am doing a research project with his team. The team is leading the research for Earth. I was just moved to the team so I haven't had much research time."

I was very impressed; she was working for Space Dynamics and at such a high level.

I looked over and saw our waiter. He was approaching with two glass bottles with white cloths.

"I must first ask; are you two of age?" The waiter asked.

We both nodded simultaneously.

Rose pulled out her Space Dynamics I.D. and showed it the waiter.

"Perfect" he said, "I advise that you two please watch your consumption."

I nodded, "Yes sir, I promise that the peace in here will not be affected in any way."

He nodded, "Now; Wine or Sparkling Water?"

I pointed to the wine, "We'll take that."

The waiter smiled, "Please be careful." He placed the wine on the table with two glasses. He then winked to me. I started to blush a little; I kind of knew what he was meaning. I didn't have any plans on sex, nor did I have plans on drinking inappropriately. This was solely to get to know Rose and even start a relationship.

Rose smiled at me and chuckled slightly.

Thoughts rolled through my mind, "Oh god, this is going to be harder than I thought." I thought to myself.

I opened the bottle with a pop. I then poured a small amount in both of our glasses. I handed Rose her glass and grabbed my own. I raised it and gave a toast.

"à la santé!" I said as I raised my glass. (to health)

I was glad that I knew a small amount of French. Many people called it the language of love because it was so fluent.

Rose smiled, "I didn't know you knew that language."

I shook my head slightly, "Actually, I don't. That's just a small bit that I do know. My second best language is one called Spanish. On Earth, French, the one I just spoke, is known as the language of love, while Spanish is known to 'make you better looking'."

Rose chuckled at the same time I had done so.

"So, tell me a bit about yourself." I said, "I know you work with Space Dynamics, but what about school and other things?"

She smiled, "Well, I go to the Defense Force Academy. I am currently training for data research, which is why I have the internship. On top of that, I don't really do much. I'm not a very social person."

I nodded, "Huh"

"Anyway, I like to read books. I have an incredibly immersive imagination, so reading the best of the best really consumes my time when I visualize and read." She continued, "I even like to sometime write. I'm not very good at it, but it really does help my mind let loose."

I was smiling greatly; she sounded so nice and was so smart.

"I have no siblings and don't live with my parents. I moved out when I was sixteen." She finished, "SO what about you?"

"Well, I am on Star Fox, obviously. I left Earth at the age of 15 after I saved Fox from a crash." I explained.

She nodded, "I heard about that. Was it bad?"

I shook my head, "No, I was able to get him back on his feet." I took a sip of the wine, "Anyway, when I left, I started to train a little on Great Fox. We got to Corneria and started the real training. After that, we got the news of Wolf being in Lylat again. Then we found his army. And then… then his plan."

Rose nodded, "To attack Earth"

I nodded back, "Exactly, it was hard to stop him, but I got him. With the cost of a few things." I then raised my left hand, "This and my right leg." I lowered them, "Before all this, I was a normal kid on Earth. I had some friends and enemies, average student with pretty good grades. After that, the life of Star Fox took me. A great turn in my destiny."

Rose seemed incredibly into the story. She was staring at me and listening to every word I spoke.

"Incredible" she said, "You were average, and then you're suddenly on Star Fox."

I laughed, "One hell of a transfer, isn't it?"

She laughed as well.

We were both having an incredible time. I loved just talking to her and the fact that she loved doing so as well.

After we finished our slight laughter, our waiter returned with our dishes. They looked amazing and were striking images from the picture.

"Oh wow, this looks delicious." I said.

"Since you aren't from this planet, I should tell you what it is." The waiter said.

I shook my head, "I actually read something about Ratatouille. But thank you for the concern."

The waiter nodded, "Very well." He then bowed, "Bon appétit."

I looked down at the familiar dish. Ratatouille was very popular on Earth; seeing it here was just so weird. But I kept my knowledge of the realities connecting, so the thought was pushed away.

I got my cloth and placed it on my lap. I grabbed my fork and grabbed the first piece of the dish. It was neatly placed in a small tower, with the sauce around and over it neatly. It was truly a fancy looking cuisine. I grabbed a small piece and placed it in my mouth. It tasted absolutely delicious. I had never tried French food before, so this was a true surprise.

"Oh wow" I said.

Rose smiled, "You like it"

I nodded and smiled back, "Absolutely"

I then heard a slight gasp and cheer off in the distance. I looked up and over to the door. I saw Zuria jumping with joy as she was talking to someone. I couldn't exactly tell who because a group of people were blocking my view.

"What's wrong?" Rose asked.

I looked back at her, "I think I just started something wonderful." I said. I had a good feeling about what was happening.

Rose looked in the direction that I was.

I was watching as Zuria was just so happy. Finally, the group of people moved enough to clear my view. Sure enough, I found Fox and Krystal, arm in arm, speaking with Zuria.

"Ata boy, Fox." I said to myself.

Rose looked at me, "Is that Fox and Krystal?" She asked.

I nodded, "Yes, and it looks like Fox took my advice."

Rose chuckled, "You told him to ask Krystal out?"

I smiled, "Of course. He had been trying to work up the courage for so long. I just gave him the extra push to finally do it."

Rose smiled back, "How sweet"

Zuria, Fox, and Krystal finally started to walk. They were heading in our direction. I went back to the dish and took another bite. I looked back up and saw Zuria bringing them to the spare table right next to the one Rose and I was seated at.

"Excuse me" I said as I got up. I walked over to Fox as he was walking to the table. He raised his hand; I grabbed it with my opposite and went in for the bro hug. I patted his back.

"What I tell you?" I said quietly.

Fox nodded, "I know, I know. I just can't thank you enough."

I shook my head, "Just looking out for a friend." I then turned back, "Let's get to our dates now. You go ahead and have your date with Krystal, while I have mine."

Fox nodded in agreement.

I walked back to my table and sat down. Fox and Krystal were seated at the table a few feet away.

I overheard Krystal speaking, "It bugs me that Kevin can block me from his mind now."

I chuckled slightly.

I looked back up at Rose. She seemed very happy.

She spoke when I looked at her, "I actually have another question."

"Go ahead" I replied.

"What was life like on Earth? Did you like it, or do you like life here better?" she asked.

I nodded, "I love life here. Being on the Star Fox team is like a dream come true for me." I smiled.

She smiled as well, "But what about your Earth life. How was that?"

I shook my head, "Well, it wasn't the best." I paused and took a sip of my wine; I was running low on it. "In fact, it wasn't really all that well. I said I had good grades, friends, and such. But I had more enemies than anything else."

Rose nodded, "I see, so life there wasn't really that comfortable."

I nodded back, "Yes, I remember asking for a second chance of some sort. I prayed to my religions god that I could have a do over or the strength to make everything right. I wasn't a believer, but I was so desperate. Later, I had a dream. The dream itself was so vivid and clear, it showed me my future. Four shadowed figures appeared in front of me. One of them told me 'change is coming'; I couldn't remember anything after that. But sure enough, a day later Fox had crashed in my yard. It was a weird way of fate showing itself to me, it was like it just flat out told me it was there and was working with me."

Rose seemed amazed, "Wow, that's just amazing." She said with an awestruck face.

I chuckled, "Yes, it was a very scary time."

I finished up my dish and poured another small glass of wine.

"Last glass" I said as I barely poured the wine into the glass.

Rose then held her glass up slightly, "You mind filling mine?"

I shook my head, "Not at all" I grabbed it and filled her glass with some wine.

"Thank you" she said.

I nodded, "It's my pleasure"

After a minute of silence, Rose finished her meal as well, "Wow, that's was just too good."

I nodded, "Absolutely delicious" I looked over at Fox and Krystal. They were talking to each other back and forth while they were eating their meals.

I looked back at Rose, "What did you think? This place is amazing, right?"

Rose looked around, "It's beautiful."

I did so as well, "Not bright, very soft and peaceful."

"Have you ever been to anything like this?" She asked me.

I shook my head, "Nothing this nice, no." I said, "You?"

Rose shook her head as well.

I found our waiter walking towards us and signaled him. He came walking over.

"How may I help you Mr. Michelson?" He asked.

I looked at Rose, "We are finished."

The waiter nodded, "One minute" he said as he walked off.

A minute passed when Zuria walked up to us.

"So? What did you sink?" She asked.

I nodded and smiled, "It was delicious; please send my compliments to the chef."

She smiled back, "I am glad zat you liked it."

I nodded, "We're just waiting for the bill right now an…" Zuria cut me off.

"Bill? No no no, zis in on ze 'ouse. You are a friend of my Fox and his savior, ze least I can do is no charge you nothing for your dinners."

I smiled, "Really?"

She nodded, "Yes, it is my sincere gratitude zat you be treated well here."

I was a bit stunned to hear this, "Well, thank you very much Ms. Zuria."

I got up and attempted to shake her hand, but was met instead with a hug.

"Sank you for saving Fox." She said.

I hugged her back, "It was nothing"

She released me, "I ope you two ave a pleasant evening."

"Thank you" I said.

I looked over at Rose, "You ready?" I asked her.

She nodded and arose from her seat. I took both the bottle of wine and her hand and walked past Fox and Krystal. I looked at Fox as we walked and smiled at him. Rose and I headed for the front entrance and exited with no problems.

We stopped when we reached outside, "Oh my, it's chilly." She said.

It was a bit cold. The air was like ice when it hit my skin.

"You must be freezing." She added.

I shook my head, "I may not have fur, bur I can take the cold easily."

I then took my jacket off, "Don't freak out about the gun." I said. Once the jacket was off, I draped it over Rose to keep her warm. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew through. I caught Rose in my arms as she leaned and lost balance.

She looked up at me after she realized what happened, "Th-thanks" she said in a soft tone. I looked into her eyes and saw absolute beauty. She looked back and we starred for a minute. I took in every detail of her beautiful eyes; her iris, the soft hazel color.

I then slowly got her back to balance, while still looking into her eyes.

I snapped out of my trance, "We should… uh… get you home." I said, breaking Rose out of her trance as well.

She nodded in agreement and blushed deeply, "Y-yeah"

The both of us then walked to the car hand in hand. I opened the door for her and she sat down in the seat. I closed it and walked around to my side and entered.

Rose spoke up, "We should… d-do this again some time."

I looked over at her, "Of course" I started the car and made our way down the road.

"What's your address?" I asked.

"4879 Lylat Road." She answered.

I entered it into the navigation unit and saw that it wasn't very far at all. Very close to the academy actually.

We made our way around the large circled road and down the proper street to reach Lylat Road. It was a few blocks down until we had our turn. Once I was on the street, I quickly found Rose's house. It was a small house perfect for one person. I stopped the car in front of it and exited the vehicle. I walked around and opened Rose's door. I grabbed her hand and helped her exit.

"Can you walk me to the door?" She asked with a look that said 'please'.

I smiled and nodded, "Of course"

The two of us then walked up to the front door. We stopped and stood facing each other.

"I had a really fun time." She said as she lowered her head.

I nodded, "I… uh… me too."

She smiled, "I really enjoyed it." She then took off the jacket and handed it back to me; I then slipped it on.

Rose then suddenly leaned in and kissed me on the cheek. I blushed uncontrollably and couldn't hide it. She chuckled when she saw me starting to blush. I lowered my head in embarrassment as she entered her house.

I sighed, "That was amazing" I said to myself.

I turned back and headed for my car. I was a bit thirsty, so I entered the search box for a close by market. There was one about a few blocks down. I started down the road and quickly found the market. It was rather large for a neighborhood building; one's on Earth weren't very large.

I turned into the parking area and turned the car off. I exited and entered the building. When I entered, I was greeted by the sales clerk.

"Welcome to John's Pharmacy" he said as he was doing something on the computer.

I walked to the back and found the drinks. The store had small bottles of soda in a fridge. I slid the door open and grabbed a clear colored soda. I took it to the front and had the man ring me up.

"Just put it on this little pad." The man said as he pointed to a blue spot on the table.

I placed the soda on it and watched as a light scanned from back and forth quickly. After that, the man pointed to a card slot next to it.

"Now just slide your currency card here and you'll be good to go." He told me.

I smiled, "You know, you're one of the most helpful people I've run into."

The man shrugged, "It's in my nature."

I nodded, "You even knew I wasn't from here. That's some social skills, sir."

The man shrugged again, "It's what I do best."

I pulled out my currency card and swiped it on the slot. The price of .15 credits was deducted from my account.

"Wow, rather cheap here." I said. It was my first time shopping on my own, so I was bound to run into a few new things.

The clerk then smiled, "Have a nice evening, Mr. Michelson."

I nodded and headed for the door.

As I reached the sidewalk, I saw a man walking in the distance. It was already late, so I was a bit skeptical. As I was watching this man, he changed his direction towards me. I grew even more skeptical about this.

"Is he looking for trouble?" I asked myself.

I walked to the driver side of the car and pretended that the door was somehow stuck. I looked back and saw the man was getting closer, and was indeed heading for me.

I thought to myself, "Oh boy"

_To Be Continued…_

_Oooooooohhhhh a cliffhanger! I thought it was a nice touch to end the chapter with. But anyway, what did you all think? Sound off in the reviews and tell me your thoughts on the chapter; your feedback is what keeps me going. Be sure (if you're new) to favorite or follow the book if you liked it. If you like my works in general, be sure to follow me for all updates on this book and my future works. _

_Chapter 8, which will be short, should be up VERY soon. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow. _

Until next time…


	8. Chapter 8: Who?

_So I ended last chapter on a cliffhanger. I have debated this choice for some time, but I have thought too much of what I can do with it to turn it away now. So, this chapter is necessary for what is to come. _

_Enjoy…_

**Chapter 8: Who? **

I turned back and saw the man getting closer and closer to me. With all my training and instincts, I knew for a fact that he was heading for me. I braced myself for something that he would throw at me, IF he wanted a fight.

I heard a scrape on the ground, indicating a sudden movement of the being. I caught it and, with cat like instincts, jumped away from the being. He had attempted to cut me with a rather large blade.

When I landed from the jump, I pulled out my pistol and pointed it at the man.

"Well, look who has a death wish." I said as I watched the man move his blade around.

He laughed, "It is you who has the death wish." He continued moving around his blade, "You shouldn't have interfered with our plans."

I was a bit confused, "Plans?"

The man smiled devilishly, "Yes plans" He started to sidestep around me in a circle. I did the same and kept the sights on him.

"Your inclusion was never predicted, nor was it predicted you would end it. That is the only reason you had succeeded." The man then said.

I was getting tired of this mysterious psycho, and quite frankly, scared, "If you don't tell me what the hell you're talking about in the next minute, I'll blow your head off of your shoulders."

"My people have been watching this civilization for quite some time. We are mentally advanced, as we had predicted and assisted in the previous war. However, we didn't think a human would ever get involved so deeply. Your inclusion caught us so off guard that you had what I took to win" He laughed, "You won't leave here alive. And if you do, the Yuthans will kill you."

I was incredibly confused and wasn't satisfied with my answer, "That's not the explanation I was looking for; tell me now!"

The man finally spoke and came out of the shadows, "You will found out yourself."

It was the grey avian that was on the news report.

I was surprised, "Oh, so you're the one that got away from the cops? Too bad I'm better than them, and have a much shorter temper."

I pulled the trigger and sent a beam of blue energy flying towards the man. Surprisingly, he dodged it with little effort.

"What?" I said in shock.

He chuckled, "Time to end this."

I was now pissed, "I don't think so"

I charged for the man and started to throw my fists. I came around for a left hook and landed a direct hit. He then came back with a slash at my face. I leaned back fast enough to dodge the attack. I came back up and threw a right hook, missing, but catching the counter; the man brought his blade upwards; I sidestepped and stopped his arm. His blade went flying out of his hands. Once it was in the air, I spun around and threw his feet from under him with a spin kick. The avian landed on the ground with great force. I ran for the blade and grabbed it. I turned back and found the man charging for me. He jumped up and threw a punch down. I sidestepped and cut the man's arm. I was so glad I was trained to use a variety of weapons.

"Argh- you son of bitch!" He yelled as he grabbed the cut.

I shook my head, "You shouldn't have tried to kill me then, dumbass."

The man released his arm and ran for me once more. He threw several punches at my face. I continuously jumped back, dodging the futile punches. As he was throwing his fists, I found and opening to attack. He drew his right fist back, allowing me to stab at him. I was successful, landing a clean hit on his abdomen. The man jumped back and stumbled to the ground, blood running onto the ground.

"I'll let the cops finish you." I then hit the emergency frequency icon on my communicator. It would immediately send a signal to the authorities, giving them my location.

The man then got back up to his feet and laughed.

"You don't know who you are dealing with." The man said.

I watched in horror as his gash healed itself in a matter of seconds. I was stunned and horrified at the sight.

"That's impossible." I said.

The man shook his head, "Not for Yuthans."

I was getting a bit scared now. This man was as powerful as Wolf, maybe even more deadly.

Seeing his potential, I decided to try and end him. The authorities hadn't arrived, but it was the only thing left to do with someone like this.

"I've been going easy on you, trying not to kill you. But you just lifted that bar." I said as I twirled the large blade around.

I then charged for the man and slashed at him repeatedly. He dodged the first few, but I hit him the last multiple times. He was knocked back from the hits I landed. Blood was now gushing from his body.

He laughed, "You're more ignorant than we had anticipated. You alone cannot kill me!"

I was getting more angry than scared now, "Shut your damn trap."

The wounds on the man's body then healed up once again. Once they had finished healing, I heard the sirens in the distance.

The man looked a little stunned, "Oh, you called the authorities? No matter. You still will die here."

I thought to myself, "If only I had my armor"

I then charged for the man once more, I slashed at him multiple times, hitting him each time. I was growing tried from the repeated attacks. I was getting so tired that I missed a slash, allowing the man to counter. He grabbed my hand and threw me back. As I hit the ground, the cops had turned the corner. There were regular enforcers and large troop transports. I got up and watched as they formed a circular perimeter around the man and me.

"Michelson, get back!" One of the cops yelled as they got out of their vehicles. I watched as the troop transports released military grade cops. They all had their rifles and pistol pointed at the man. Some of them had also deployed portable shields.

I grabbed my pistol and went back behind one of the deployed shields and pointed my gun at the man.

"Derik Boulse, you are under arrest for the murder of Felix San Juan." A cop said loudly.

The avian, Derik, suddenly yelled back, "The Yuthans will have their revenge!"

A cop looked at me, "Do you have any idea what he's talking about?"

I shook my head, "No and I don't want to know." I honestly, I had no idea what Derik was saying. It all sounded incredibly farfetched.

Derik yelled once more, "It is time I showed you my true potential." He yelled, "We will meet again, Kevin Michelson! Remember the name, Yuthan."

Suddenly, the man threw down several bomb-like capsules, releasing a large amount of smoke.

"What the fuck?" I said as the smoke began to expand. I fired several bolts into the smoke, but saw I was the only one.

"What the hell are you all doing? Stop him!" I yelled.

"Open fire!" a cop yelled.

Suddenly, a barrage of laser fire was unleashed on Derik. Luckily, we caught him in time and interrupted his escape. The smoke faded and revealed Derik on the ground, laser burns and holes riddled his body as he lay lifeless.

I stopped firing, everyone else quickly followed. His body was so mashed up that it was impossible to identify him.

I slowly came out from behind the shield and walked up to Derik. I looked over the now dead body.

"What the hell is this?" I asked when I saw the police Lieutenant walk up.

"I have no idea. But he's dead, so don't worry about it." The Lieutenant said.

I shook my head, "I'm not too sure about that. Do you know what a Yuthan is?"

I kneeled down and started to search Derik's body. I found several items on him; these included multiple drug cups and even needles.

The Lieutenant chuckled, "Drugs, typical reason for stupid shit to occur."

I shook my head, "But how else would he have known about the war? He said something about mentally advanced beings called Yuthans." I got back up.

The Lieutenant looked interested, "What else did he say?"

"Something about my interference with 'plans' was not predicted. And that our success against Wolf was because I wasn't 'predicted'." I explained.

The Lieutenant sighed, "Well, don't worry about it. We have an investigation going on, so you won't have to worry about a single thing. Worst case scenario is that he was on a lot of drugs."

I nodded, "Fine, but I don't want any of this coming back and biting me in the ass." I said as I pointed at the Lieutenant.

He nodded, "I assure you, your rest will not be interfered with this low life criminal."

I headed back to my car and passed through the blockade of cops. My car, thankfully, was unscathed from the fight. I entered the driver side and sat for a while.

"I don't think he was on drugs." I said to myself, "What the hell is a Yuthan?"

The thoughts continued to jumble around in my head. But, like the Lieutenant had told me, it was most likely drugs- the man had tons of empty bottles on him anyway.

I sighed, "Oh well, I just need to focus on my life."

I started the car and exited past the cops. I looked over and saw them placing the body in a glass floating tube. Once the body was in it, the glass tinted to the point where you couldn't see the inside. I checked both side and headed off back to the estate. I had a nice idea for the team in terms of what to do.

_To Be Continued…_

_Please Read:_

_So as you might have guessed, I plan on making one final set for this Star Fox Universe. I had so many more ideas that could lead to potential books that would be absolutely horrid to miss out on. The idea right now is so big that I have already started to outline the main plot. But another trilogy is highly unlikely since this idea doesn't span as much as Crossed Paths. This will be just one, big ass book. As for my next book after this, Ratchet and Clank, the plot is already finished and writing will begin shortly (that means we are nearing the end of this book). I have one chapter left for this and it will serve as the (somewhat) prologue to my idea. _

_I had a lot of fun with this book. Even though I did have some issues with writing it in the beginning, it turned out to be very enjoyable and soothing to my mind. I say soothing because I listened to chillstep and other ambient type music while writing this to keep the mood. _

_I really appreciate that you all had stuck with me to the end of the book. I do hope that you continue with me through my journey of becoming a writer as it would really help me. _

_A big thanks goes out to Kit Karamak for assisting me with the thought output for this. I couldn't use all of what he told me because the book wasn't big, but really helped me nonetheless. I thank you very much, kind sir. _

_Until next time for the final chapter of A Time of Peace…_


	9. Chapter 9: Good Happenings

_Here we are, the final chapter of A Time of Peace. I had a good time writing this book. Much less actiony than the trilogy. Anyway, I thank all of you for reading this book and enjoying so much. It means a lot that someone can read my writings and actually enjoy what they read. _

_This chapter will be short. It is a lot to cover in terms of subjects, but I am trying to keep it on a low so I can start my next book. _

_On with the final chapter…_

**Chapter 9: Good Happenings **

**Note: This chapter will jump subjects via narrative sections**

_The time is six months after the Derik Boulse encounter. The Star Fox team continues enjoying their vacation; Kevin nearly forgets about the encounter due to his developing skills to cope with certain things and events. During the six month lapse, Kevin and Rose continue on together and become closer to each other with each date. Fox and Krystal also stay together. The two's love for each other seemed so strong that it was unbreakable. Kevin's decision to push Fox onto the first day paid off well. _

_Present time…_

I awoke in my room to the sound of my alarm blaring. I slowly arose out of the bed and turned the alarm off. The noise it made was unbearable, but did an excellent job at getting me up in the morning. Usually, I would ignore my alarm that was back on Earth, but this one was not ignorable.

I rubbed my eyes to check the time. The clock read 8:00 a.m. in the morning.

I groaned, "Who the hell wakes up this early on a 'do nothing' day?"

Even though I had nothing important planned for the day, I decided to get up. Knowing Fox, he would be up already, so he could keep me company in the quiet house.

I began my usual routine. I walked into my bathroom and turned the shower on. It was very chilly in the room, so I upped the temperature on the display. The temperature locked in and started to heat up to the point. I waited until the computer told me it was ready.

The mirror that was in front of me was rather large- taking up half the open wall from the door to the shower. I looked into it and saw my face was healing much better. The scars weren't as solid as they used to be after the procedure I had done.

About a month ago, Beltino called me. He had told me of a new medical procedure that could help in removing my scars. However, he warned me that it was still in the testing stage for full sized beings. I was already annoyed with the large mark that went from my forehead and around my eye, so I took the chance. It kind of surprised me that a planet with such advanced technology was just then healing scars. But it didn't bother me at all.

I went to the doctor, had my scars evaluated with a quick scan, and began the operation. It didn't last long at all. Once I awoke, they handed me a mirror. I saw that mark that went around my eye was now gone, and that the main scar that was on my forehead above my eye was nearly invisible; my face looked as good as new. I was incredibly happy and so were the doctors. They told me that if the remainders of their predictions came true, the scar should completely disappear. It was now happening- the scar was fading quickly.

"Glad I took the chance." I said to myself.

I turned back around and undressed. I stepped into the shower and washed myself down. While in the shower, I reflected on everything that happened before. The one thing that stood in my mind the most, however, was the fight with Austin. Wolf's fight was up there, but the fight with Austin scared me the most. Since he was a telepath, he could have done unspeakable things to Krystal and I. On top of that, Krystal would have died if I hadn't spared the lives of those guards. Knowing how I can let my emotions take control of me was the reason I was scared. If I hadn't fought my anger, the guards would have been killed and Krystal would have surely died.

I shivered a little at the thought, "I need to make sure something like that doesn't happen again."

I started to lather my body and rinse it off. Once I was nice and clean, I got out of the shower and turned it off.

I had a good idea of what to wear today. Some nice jeans and a black shirt would do nicely. I went over to my closet and grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans and a black t-shirt. I dressed myself and looked in the mirror. The shirt fit my body perfectly and looked good matched with the jeans. I was satisfied with what I saw and decided to head out. I exited my room and walked into the silence of the rest of the house. I slowly closed the door. When it slid shut, it made a slight noise.

"You comin to keep me company?" I heard a voice say from downstairs.

I chuckled slightly, "Maybe"

I started to head down the stairs. I noticed that no one was in the living area. Wondering where Fox was, I decided to check the kitchen. I reached the bottom and turned left towards the kitchen. As I rounded the corner and entered, I found Fox leaning against the counter.

He looked at me, "You're up early"

I nodded, "I forgot to fix my damn alarm." I then opened the fridge and grabbed a container filled with a white liquid. The Cornerians called it something different than milk, but it was exactly that and tasted the same.

Fox chuckled, "Gotta pay attention to stuff like that."

I nodded and took a swig of the milk, "I know"

Fox turned around, "So what's the plan for today? We haven't done anything in weeks."

I shrugged, "I didn't really have anything planned. I was hoping I could swing down by Space Dynamics and check on the armor and ships. I really want to see if they improved anything over the months."

Fox smiled, "You've seemed to take a liking into technology."

I smiled back, "I've always been a fan of advanced technology. But since I've been here, I grew closer to that love."

Fox nodded, "You mind if I tag along? I'd actually like to see how Beltino's team is doing as well."

I shrugged, "Sure, why not?" I then finished off my glass and placed it in the sink.

During the slight silence, I heard a door open and close.

"Someone else just got up." I said.

Fox smiled, "The silence in this house is so eerie."

I laughed, "Yeah, no background noise, no engine hums."

Fox laughed as well.

Suddenly, Krystal rounded the corner and greeted us.

"Good morning, you two." She said with a smile.

"Hey Krys" Fox replied.

"Morning Krystal" I said.

She sighed and leaned against the fridge, "So, do we have anything planned?"

Fox looked at me, "What I tell ya?"

I laughed and looked back at Krystal, "Not really, I was going to go down to Beltino and see how they are doing with the armor and Arwings."

She nodded, "How long have they been working on it?"

I scratched the back of my neck, "Um… ever since we got back from Earth 7 months ago. So a pretty good amount of time."

She nodded slowly, "Huh, they probably have some advanced ships by now."

I chuckled, "Oh yeah, the Arwing III prototype he lent me a while back was amazing. I can only imagine what it's like now."

Fox chuckled, "You sure do like the tech."

I chuckled back, "I love how much it's better than Earth's."

The room filled with silence. Krystal then gave a squint, "Hey, I have an idea of what to do."

I looked at Krystal with a puzzled look, "Like what?"

Fox looked puzzled as well, "I'm curious."

Krystal shrugged, "Well, it's been 7 months since we got back from Earth."

I was still a bit confused, "Yeah, what are you getting at?"

She shrugged again, "I say we spend some time there."

I was actually impressed with the idea, A trip to Earth was actually a neat idea, "You know what? That's a really good idea!"

Fox nodded in agreement, "It'd be nice to see how they're doing and just be there without fighting."

Krystal smiled, "Well I'm glad you two like it."

The room filled with the same silence once more. I walked out of the kitchen and flopped down onto the couch.

"Hey Fox, you want to just head down to Space Dynamics now? We have nothing better to do anyway." I asked.

Fox shrugged, "Sure"

I looked over at Krystal, "You want to join us?" I asked her.

She shook her head, "No, I think I'm just going to meditate a little."

I tilted my head and shrugged, "Alright"

I then got up and headed for the door. Fox followed after me.

We both exited and headed for the garage.

I broke the silence, "So when we get back, tell Falco and Slippy about the Earth trip?"

Fox nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure they would love to go."

We walked into the garage.

I looked at Fox, "Do you want to drive?"

He nodded, "Yeah"

We then entered Fox's Firebird. He started it up and backed out of the garage. We quickly got on the road and headed off.

"Let's listen to some tunes." Fox said as he switched the radio on.

I chuckled at the sound of the word, "This should be interesting."

Fox gave me a quick glance, "Why's that?"

I sighed, "Even though I've been here for months, I still have yet to hear a single song of this planet."

Fox started to laugh slightly, "Seriously?"

I nodded and sighed again, "Yeah, what genre do you listen to?"

Fox switched the radio to a pre-set station, "Rock"

The radio announcers were about to go to another song.

"Okay that was Syndrome by Scepters. Up next we have a popular request by fans; Blurry by Puddle of Mood." The announcer said.

Suddenly, the song that I knew so much started to play, as if I was back on Earth.

"Son of a bitch" I said quietly as I heard how identical and similar the song was.

Fox laughed, "You know this song?"

I shook my head, "It's my favorite rock song." I continued shaking my head, "This is just so weird!"

Fox started to laugh more, "Oh don't worry I'll get my fill when we get to Earth."

I sighed, "That's true, but I don't listen to rock very much."

Fox chuckled, "What do you listen to?"

"Trance and Dubstep" I replied.

Fox nodded "Ah, you're into the electronic type."

I nodded back, "Yeah, I used to adore rock so much. But then I got this phone app that would play stations of different music. I saw that trance was one of them so I thought 'eh, why not?'. I didn't know what to expect because I've never heard a trance song before." I paused, "I swear to you, it's like my eyes were opened when that first song played."

Fox chuckled, "It was that good?"

I nodded, "You have no idea. The song put me into this mood that made me think. The beats were so nice and the synth was so smooth, it had that open feel- like a tunnel."

Fox seemed interested, "What was it called?"

I pondered the thought. I recalled what the song did, but couldn't quite catch the name.

"Huh" I said. I thought hard about it. Suddenly, I started to play the song back in my head. I played from the drop and was able to recall the rest of the song through chain memory. Suddenly, words played in my head, the chain memory really worked as I remembered the few words in the song.

"It's a dream… for you and me… this is not… reality…" The words played through.

I snapped out of my thought train, "I think it was called 'It's a Dream'."

Fox nodded, "Type it into the computer."

I then tapped the HUD screen. On it was a list of commands. One of these was to search for songs. I tapped it and entered 'It's a Dream'. I was met with hundreds of results.

"Damn, this might take a bit." I said.

Fox decided to narrow it down, "You said it was trance, so the artist name may start with DJ."

I scrolled through and found a perfect name match. It's A Dream by Dj Dean.

I nodded, "Nice call, I think this is it."

Below the song was the symbol to play it. I hit it and was streamed with the song.

"It's a dream… for you and me….. this is not.. reality… illusions… everywhere… remind this… for a fear…" a woman sung.

The song then went into its drop; with a leading synth, bass and beats. It truly did sound like a tunnel song. The feel you get from this type of music if you listen and concentrate on it really does something.

Fox looked impressed, "Oh wow, much different from rock, but still pretty good."

I chuckled, "Oh, you should hear Dubstep. That's like nothing you have ever heard."

Fox seemed interested, "Explain it?"

I laughed, "That's a bit hard to do, but I'll try." I cleared my throat, "Imagine a nice intro with synth and beat that goes two, pause, one, pause, two, pause. After a while, it goes up and just basically gets out of hand with wub sounds and other crazy ass combos."

Fox laughed, "Sounds like a mess."

I typed in a song that was pretty hardcore. Luckily, I remembered the name clearly.

"Here's one like that" I said as I typed in the word 'Killbot' on the screen.

I found the right song and played it. It was slow like with a string flicking noise. Soon, a fast clap was heard, and then came the drop with heavy bass, wub, and synth.

"Whoa" Fox said.

I laughed, "What I tell you?" The song had a huge mix of sounds and beats mixed in. To me, it sounded awesome.

I enjoyed the music I listened to very much. Explaining it to Fox was even better.

Suddenly, Fox stopped the song and the car.

"We're here" he said.

The two of us then exited the car. In front of us across the street was the Space Dynamics building. Over the door was the logo for the company.

"Let's go" Fox said as he started to cross the street.

I followed after him and reached the other end. The two of us entered the building and was met by a greeting from the front desk worker.

"Welcome Mr. McCloud and Mr. Michelson." The man said.

Fox nodded at him, "Is Beltino Toad busy?" he asked.

The man started to type, "Let me see…"

Fox looked over at me, "Do you think they added anything?"

I shrugged, they could have easily upgraded the tech within the months, but then again they could have had a stopping point in the intelligence they acquired.

The man then spoke, "He shouldn't be busy now. Let me just call him to clarify." He then pressed a button on the desk, "Mr. Beltino?"

Beltino quickly answered back, "Yes? What is it?"

"I have two visitors here for you; Mr. McCloud and Mr. Michelson." The man said.

Beltino sounded cheerful, "Ah, send them up."

The man looked at us, "Go on ahead."

Fox nodded, "Thank you."

The two of us then walked into the elevator and headed up to Beltino's office. Once we reached the floor, the doors slid opened. We both walked down the hall and towards Beltino's lab. Scientists were walking back and forth as they spoke to each other.

"It's pretty damn early and these guys are already busy as hell." Fox said as we were walking.

I chuckled, "It's the research wing- of course they're busy."

We reached the door and knocked several times.

Beltino opened it and greeted us, "Hello you two, what brings you here?"

I spoke up, "We just thought we could swing by and see how things are going."

Beltino nodded, "Yes, yes, by all means please come in."

Fox and I then entered the room.

Beltino went over to his desk and typed a few things.

"If you look over to the lab…" He said as he typed, "…I'll show you a hologram projection of our progress."

Suddenly, the room grew dark and a projection emitted in front of the lab.

"Let me start with the Arwings." Beltino said, "Since we showed you the Arwing III a while back, we have upgraded it even more. The current model, which is the final one, now has even stronger shielding and a Chromatin hull. We were able to harness the element and use it as the primary material for the hull." Beltino explained as an image of the new Arwing was displayed. "On top of that, the ion cells and G-Diffusers received a hefty upgrade. The Arwings can now use the Hyper Speed Module twice and still survive in combat for several weeks. Before, you could only use the module once and need new cells."

Fox nodded, "Wow, that's some great upgrades."

"Also, mobility increased with the G-Diffusers." Beltino added.

I was amazed at the work, "That's pretty impressive."

Beltino chuckled, "Now for Great Fox. The Dreadnaught class ship was given unbelievable upgrades and a few additions." He said, "The ship has such new details that we had to give it a new classification- Dreadnaught Alpha. We are currently constructing more of these class ships for the fleet. Anyway, Great Fox now has shields stronger than we have ever imagined. It has a quadruple over-shield, each shield ten times more powerful than the original double over-shield. The main cannons are also equipped with the new Omega Laser Systems; these are much more powerful than the Ion Laser Systems. Aside from power, the Great Fox now has a stronger Fusion Coil Engine and Chromatin Cells. This new element has many uses aside from hull construction. Also, we were finally able to better the targeting systems for the vehicle teleporting. I know you had some issues with it during the Aparoid Invasion." Beltino explained.

Fox was now shocked, "My god, you guys really out did yourselves."

Beltino chuckled, "We are only doing our jobs."

I looked at Beltino, "What about my suit?" I asked. I was very curious and really wanted to see what they had done to it.

Beltino smiled, "Ah, you'll love this." He said, "Because Wolf had such advanced tech on his hands, we couldn't really upgrade the suit. However, we were able to combine both technologies and use it for the suit. The helmet is no longer a helmet, which was beyond repair. Instead of that, a metal plate will appear on the back of your head; the plate is flexible and very strong to protect you. The plate will then extend around the right side of your head and protrude a green glass over your eye; this will act as your HUD. The Chromatin and Denzium armor plates are now reactive to light; this means the environmental reactive tech we had originally planned on incorporating was removed and replaced with this. Our tests showed that this was much more successful. Anyway, depending on the area you are occupying, your armor will bend light around you, making you invisible when in cover. For example, if you're in some bushes and activate the function, you will be incredibly difficult to detect. Now if you were in the open, you have a higher chance of being seen because the space you occupy will look blurry. With the help of the intel and knowledge, we were able to get the tech to work perfectly even while sprinting, so you will still bend light even when trying to escape hostile situations." Beltino said.

I was absolutely amazed, "That's incredible. I literally have no words to say about how amazing this is."

Beltino smiled and walked over to Fox and I, "Well if you like this, then you will absolutely adore this next feature."

I was stoked, "There's more?"

Beltino chuckled as he walked through the projection, "Of course, it's something we had previously thought was impossible, but it is now functioning perfectly."

The projection faded and the room grew lighter once more.

"Please, step into this chamber so I can scan your body. This new feature requires a different scan to work flawlessly." Beltino said as he typed into a computer next to a clear tube.

I saw nothing wrong with a scan, "Cool"

I stepped into the tube and faced out towards Fox and Beltino. The clear door then slid closed.

"Try to keep as still a possible." Beltino said as he typed.

I nodded and held my stance as solid as I could keep it.

Suddenly, an arm with a long scanner came down. The scanner lit up and moved over my body. It moved up and down from my left side, and then moved to my right, then my front, then back, and then diagonals. I wondered why it needed to scan so much.

The machines then moved back up and the door slid open.

Beltino smiled, "A perfect scan. Are you ready to see the new function?"

I nodded and smiled, "I can tell this is pretty good."

Beltino chuckled, "Oh it's better than good." He said, "Now, what I want you to do is go down on one knee."

I did as he said and went on one knee.

"Now, put your right fist on the ground like you are slamming it." He said.

I then put my fist on the ground. I was now in a landing position. Like when you jump from somewhere high and land on my one knee with your fist slamming the ground.

"Okay, now lift your left arm up a bit." Beltino added.

I was now in the position.

I looked up at him, "So basically, slam my fist into the ground?" I asked.

Beltino nodded, "Exactly, like if you were falling from a high place."

I did as he said and looked back down.

Beltino sounded happy, "Great, now let me see if it is responding."

I kept the position, "Okay"

Fox looked entertained, "I think I have an idea of what this new feature is."

Beltino suddenly spoke up, "Okay Kevin, now get up and move through the whole thing quickly. What will happen is going to surprise you a lot."

I got up and took a deep breath. I laughed, "This better not scare the hell out of me."

Beltino laughed as well, "I assure you it won't."

I took another deep breath, "Okay, let's go."

I then did the entire motion and ended with my fist slamming the ground. I stood there in silence as nothing happened.

"Um… Beltino?" I asked.

He sighed, "Oh dear, something must have happened with the synchronizing."

Beltino then typed a few things in the computer, "Okay try it again."

I got up and took one more deep breath.

I went through the motion. I brought my fist up and then down to the ground, ending with one knee down and my fist hitting the ground.

As soon as my fist made contact with the floor, a blue light flashed around me. It was like a sudden and lasted maybe a fraction of a second. When the light faded in the instant second it was existing, I noticed something different about my weight. My eyes were closed because I was too scared to see what had happened.

"Oh… my… god…" I heard Fox say.

Beltino laughed, "What did I tell you?"

I slowly opened my eyes and saw that I was still in the ground slam position. But this time, my body looked different- my armor was now on me. I quickly got back on my feet in both horror and amazement.

"Holy shit!" I said loudly, "This… this is… my armor?"

I started to feel it. I thought I was hallucinating at first.

"How the hell did you…"

Beltino laughed again, "It's all technology."

I was incredibly amazed that my armor could now teleport onto me! The new uses for this are endless!

"Oh my god, this will save my ass in so many situations!" I said.

Beltino nodded, "If you're just minding your business and suddenly are thrown into a hostile situation, just go through the motion and your armor will then instantly teleport onto your body."

I was speechless, "This is beyond anything I have seen. Not even science fiction movies on Earth incorporated something like this."

Fox spoke up, "Not even video games?"

I shook my head, "No, there are a few that had some form of armor teleporting- like storing it on a small chip and having it materialize from that chip."

He nodded, "Also, the team decided to throw in a little more for your armor in particular."

I was just so happy to hear the word 'more', "Oh god, there's more?"

Beltino chuckled, "We heard about you were saved- Krystal throwing you her staff at the last second. Well, we decided to go the extra mile and develop something very useful if you are ever disarmed from your pistol."

I raised an eyebrow, "And that is?"

He walked over, "You see this extra bulge in your right forearm?"

I looked at my arm, "Yeah, what is it?"

He smiled, "Activate your head piece and command it to pop out."

I did as he said and activated the piece. The green glass quickly came over my eye. I then thought of the simple command; open right arm compartment.

Suddenly, a very short blue piece of metal popped out of the compartment. I caught it in mid air and looked at the short and skinny piece.

"Um, what is this?" I asked.

The piece of metal then started to glow. Suddenly, it extended to the length of a regular staff and a techno style vinyl design appeared along it. It was a staff with the style resembling Krystal's, but more tech related.

"Whoa" I said as it suddenly extended.

Beltino started o point at each end, "These two ends are equipped with weapons similar to that found on Krystal's staff. This end right here…" Beltino said as he pointed to the end with a tear drop head, "…is equipped with a flame blast, electricity surge, and plasma blasts. The other end…" He said as he pointed to the headless end of the staff, "… is the main power source. It uses a cell that is as powerful as the Arwing's, so it will take a while for it to deplete even after a constant use."

I stated to twirl the staff around and land some techniques. I was impressed by the aerodynamics this staff had, which made for easy use during battle.

"Incredible" I said.

Beltino spoke up, "It also has the latest in Nano Technology. This will add extra usage for the staff energy cell, as well as regenerate the weapons power, however it will not extend the life of the main cell."

I stopped my techniques, "So the weapons run on separate power? And that they can be used with the help of the main cell?"

He nodded, "Correct"

I shrugged, "Fine with me"

Beltino continued, "The super computer that is in the Arwings is also in the armor." He paused, "Fox, go on ahead so we can scan your body as well. We were able to make new suits for the entire team."

Fox nodded and stepped into the tube. The scanners then came down and did their work. Fox stepped out and went into the ground slam position.

"Okay, nice and calibrated. Try it for real." Beltino said as he finished typing.

Fox got up and went through the motion, ending with the blue flash and his armor now on him. He got up and examined the new suit.

Beltino spoke, "Like Kevin's armor, the entire suit is controlled via the brain. Once your neck plate extends, your thoughts are regulated and controlled so you won't accidentally activate certain functions."

Fox and I nodded simultaneously.

I spoke up, "So how do we take it off? Just do the motion again?"

Beltino nodded, "Yes, it will teleport back to its original location- your closets on Great Fox."

I then went through the motion and ended with a flash. The weight was suddenly lifted as my suit vanished.

"That's just awesome on so many levels." I said as I got back up.

Fox did the motion as well and removed his armor.

He stood back, "Well thank you very much for showing us this amazing gear. I can tell that whoever decides to mess with Lylat's peace will have some trouble getting past us."

Beltino chuckled, "Ah, but they have always had trouble fighting you."

Fox and I laughed, "That's true" Fox said.

With that, we both exited the lab. Our trip ending with some great surprises and some assuring tech. I knew that anyone or anything that tries to face us would fall quickly regardless of what they had against Lylat. This new tech, even though was Andross, was giving Lylat new hope for future disasters.

_As the two walked out of the Space Dynamics building, they talked about their plans for Earth. Fox wanted to spend some time with Krystal, while Kevin was to hunt down his family and check on them, assuring their safety. They could have been anywhere. After they told the team about the plans, they agreed. Fox started to map out some ideas of what to do, while Kevin gave locations for each activity. Thankfully, the entire team enjoyed tropical areas, making a good choice of areas to spend during the trip. After a few days of planning, the team was ready to move out. _

_The time is 8:00 a.m. _

I awoke to the sound of my alarm clock blaring. I stopped it and felt incredibly rested. I got up and started my regular routine.

The day was already planned out. We would take the now finished Great Fox and fly to Earth. To avoid panic, General Pepper contacted President Obama and informed him of our visit. The work force Corneria sent was apparently assisting in technological advancements.

Our plan was to fly in and use the docking bay constructed in San Diego. According to images sent to use by the force, there were five docking bays; one in San Diego, in New York, Massachusetts, Washington D.C, and in Nevada (Area 51). The first thing we wanted to do was to relax and see sights. I was appointed as the tour guide since I was native to Earth.

Since we were landing in San Diego, my home city, I would be able to show them a lot. I lived there for 15 years, so I knew almost ever thing about the city. Because I was 17, I couldn't do much. Earth's laws were different and I was not considered an adult. Either way, the first thing I was going to do was drive them around the city. San Diego was famous for several things; the best was our Comic-Con and our Gas-Lamp district nightlife. The Gas-Lamp would wait for later, I had a feeling they would love that.

"I can't wait to finally see Earth." I said as I slipped my shirt on. I grabbed my jacket and walked out of my room.

In the living room were Krystal, Fox, and Falco waiting. I walked down the stair and greeted them.

"You guys ready?" I asked.

They all nodded.

Fox spoke up, "Just waiting on Slip."

Suddenly, Slippy came walking down the stairs.

Fox then spoke, "Great looks like we can get going."

The five of us then walked out of the house and to the waiting vehicle. Pepper had arranged for a troop transport to pick us up and take us straight to Great Fox.

We all entered the vehicle and lifted off into the sky. As we were flying, the team started to chat.

"So where are we going on Earth?" Falco asked.

I spoke up, "My home city, San Diego. It's very beautiful and has incredible weather."

Falco shrugged, "Works for me."

I cleared my throat, "Now they may still be in the rebuilding stages, so don't expect anything too great."

Slippy cut in, "I'm sure they're doing great on the re build."

As if time had sped up, we were already landing at the docking bay.

"We're hear" the pilot said as we landed.

Fox nodded at him, "Thank you very much"

We all exited the ship and moved over to the Great Fox. It had a similar design to it, but had some added details along the hull. We all walked up the ramp into the landing bay. We took the elevator up and met ROB on the bridge.

"Welcome back, everyone." ROB said in his monotone voice, "Where to?"

I walked over to ROB, "We are going to Earth- specifically the San Diego Docking Bay."

ROB nodded, "Affirmative, we will take off immediately."

I walked over to my station and sat down.

"How is San Diego?" Krystal asked me as I sat down.

I looked back at her, "It isn't the best in tropical paradise, but it's a nice city. I really think you guys will enjoy it for the day we are there. After that, we can go to Hawaii and simply rest; you all said you love tropical weather, so Hawaii was a no brainer."

Krystal smiled, "Is it nice as well?"

I shrugged, "I've never been there."

Suddenly, the Great Fox started to lift off of the docking bay. We were already gaining speed and quickly exited the atmosphere. Once we were in within safe distance, ROB input the coordinates for the Hyper Speed Module.

"We will now be entering Hyper Speed in 3… 2…" ROB counted down, "…1" The ship then suddenly lurched forward as we instantly reached light speed and slowly surpassed it.

_The team was now en route to Earth. It didn't take long at all for them to finally reach it. Once they did, they quickly landed in the docking bay after clearing access to land. The team stood on the bridge and saw a sight that couldn't be forgotten. Kevin, however, was the most affected by the scene. _

I couldn't believe what I saw in front of me. The city that I once knew, the one that was small and then reduced to ruins, was now a thriving and large city.

"No… fucking… way…" I said as my jaw dropped.

Falco spoke up, "Um… who the hell did Pepper send to work?"

The city was enormous with huge skyscrapers and even refurbished buildings. The buildings had signs on them and were absolutely immense; it basically put the old Tokyo to shame in terms of size and technology usage.

ROB suddenly spoke up, "Incoming call from the president."

"Patch it through" Fox said.

Suddenly, President Obama appeared on screen.

"Hello Star Fox" He said.

We all nodded.

"Hello Mr. President" I said.

He cleared his throat, "First off, I would like to personally thank you for your incredible dedication to protecting the planet. If it weren't for you, Earth would have likely been destroyed. Second, I would like to thank you on behalf of the planet. All the leaders of the world have come together and arranged for your visit. Whatever you need, just let me know and I, along with all the other leaders, will get for you." Obama explained.

I smiled, "That's very kind Mr. Obama, but I think we won't need much."

He nodded, "I understand"

"Do you mind giving me an update on how things are going?" I asked.

He nodded, "Of course, first and foremost, all the chaos that began after the war was quickly stopped. Most of the American cities have finished their rebuilding, while the rest are close to finishing. In terms of government, every leader came together for one meeting and we agreed to start one single government run solely by us. Presidents from other countries, the King and Queen, and even dictators, now run the world under one government we call the United Nations of Earth. Laws are all the same, education is the same; we are basically one system run by the former leaders, no one else." He explained.

I nodded, "That's excellent. I was hoping you would go for the government that Lylat runs on, but this sounds very promising."

Obama chuckled, "Well, enjoy your trip." He paused for a second, "Oh, and to make sure you can freely move about, we placed a temporary law restricting any form of press annoyance. You shouldn't have to worry about the paparazzi or the news."

Fox spoke up, "Thank you very much Mr. President."

Obama smiled, "Oh, and Kevin" he said, "…Welcome home."

The comm line then ended.

I took a deep breath, "Welcome home indeed"

The other chuckled.

"So, shall we begin?" I asked as I clapped my hands.

Everyone nodded, "Cool, judging by where we landed, we appear to be on the Coronado Base."

Fox spoke up, "Base?"

I nodded, "Yes, we are in one of the many American Military Bases. It's a very nice island separate from the city."

I walked into the elevator, the team followed. We went down to the landing bay and walked out to the ramp. Outside, two lines of soldiers faced each other as three uniformed men made their way to the edge of the ramp. The team and I met them at the bottom.

"Welcome back to Earth, Team Star Fox." One of the men said. He lifted his head and revealed himself to be General Reyes.

"It's been a while since you fought off Wolf…" Brooks said as he revealed himself.

"…and since you saved the planet." Johnson added as he revealed himself as well.

Fox spoke up, "Well, well, looks like you guys are still going strong."

Johnson raised his hand, "Ah not me, retirement is getting to me soon."

I smiled, "Hey, you did your job Johnson. You helped save Earth along with these other two gentlemen. In my book, you are as strong as ever."

The rest of the team nodded in agreement.

Reyes spoke up, "So I assume you are here on holiday?"

I nodded, "Yes sir, we decided to come and spend some time here instead of on Corneria."

Brooks stepped forward, "Speaking of Corneria, I think you would be pleased to know that both of our species are doing well in our alliance. General Pepper is a very wise leader."

Krystal spoke up, "An alliance was already made?"

Reyes chuckled, "Ever since the work force arrived by surprise, we tried to reach Corneria and form some form of alliance. Luckily, we got everything in order with a bright future for both Earth and Lylat."

I smiled, "Well, the city is proving to look amazing. It resembles Corneria very much."

The three Generals looked over in the distance.

"Definitely a marvelous job done by the Lylatians." Reyes said.

I nodded, "Now if you would excuse us, we want to begin our little side vacation."

The generals nodded. "A vehicle will be by shortly for you to use." Brooks stated.

"Take care" Reyes said with a smile. With that, the generals left and entered a near-by building.

I clapped my hands together, "Okay, let's get going."

The lines of soldiers then dispersed.

_The vehicle was quick. The team all entered the large vehicle and exited the military base. Kevin drove through the Coronado residential area and made it to the Bay Bridge. The immense structure, now updated and re furbished, connected San Diego to Coronado Island. Kevin's plan was to drive around the city and show the team its character. Though there were some advanced buildings that towered over the previous ones, all the original buildings stood tall and strong as if they were never even touched. Kevin gave the team some background info about the areas and finally ended with a drive through the Gas Lamp District of the city. This area was riddled with night clubs and bars, each one with high ratings. The team found a spot to stop and just walk around. Thankfully, the Lylatian Credit System was transferable into U.S currency, however according to most shop keepers; Earth was in the process of switching to the credit system. The team basically went around to the shops like any tourist would do. Krystal was fascinated by the traditional art works, Falco loved the paintings of Chip Foose, Fox enjoyed the liveliness of the people, and Slippy overall enjoyed every aspect. _

_One thing that Kevin did not do was feed the team. He had warned them about food on Earth, not telling them what it was made with, but that it could harm them. Lylatians may have been the alternate to humans, but that didn't mean animals were not consumed because of this. _

_After it started to get late, the team decided to go out for a club. _

_The time is now 9:35 p.m. _

The bridge was quiet as we all just sat around talking.

"Hey Kevin" Fox said, "You said that the night-life here was nice."

I nodded, "I did say that."

Falco cut in, "I say we go to a club."

I shrugged, "I don't know any good ones. I was only 15 when I lived here, so I couldn't do much."

Fox turned his chair towards the front and started to type, "Slippy, can the system pick up Earth's internet structure?"

Slippy nodded, "Yeah, it should."

Fox then continued typing, "Kevin, how can I find a club here?"

I walked over to his chair, "Try Google"

Fox looked at me, "What?"

I shook my head, "It's a search engine"

He nodded, "Oh, damn"

I chuckled, "It's okay, if I were you Id be the same when I heard Google."

He then went to the engines site. He then typed in the words 'San Diego clubs'.

Fox was quickly met with the progressing list of multiple clubs. The top rated was one named FLUXX.

The team then all huddled over to the area.

"FLUXX?" Falco asked when he saw the name.

I shrugged, "See if they have pictures."

Fox then went into the images tab. The club was very nice, it had a video game look to it and was most likely the high end one meant for the upper classes.

Fox seemed surprised, "Damn"

I was surprised myself, "That's a pretty nice club. Hell, these might be old pictures, it may look different now."

Krystal spoke up, "It looks beautiful; so much color and space."

I chuckled, "Don't expect it to be that empty."

Fox cut in, "I wonder how much this bad boy is gonna cost."

He went into the price tab. Instead of giving us a price, the site merely gave us four dollar signs.

"No price?" Falco asked.

I chuckled again, "I don't go clubbing, but I know for sure this is for the drinks, not entrance fee. This is probably one of those clubs where you stand in line for hours and wait to get in."

Fox sighed, "Would you guys wait hours?"

We all shook our heads.

I spoke up, "We should just try it. The line may not be ridiculous."

Krystal shrugged, "I'm fine with trying."

Fox then turned the display off, "Alright, well let's get going."

Falco cut in, "Now?"

I shrugged, "It's already 9:00 o'clock. Might as well while it's still alive."

The five of us then went into the elevator and down into the landing bay.

Fox spoke up, "Hey, let's take the Arwings. We'll get there a lot faster and we won't have to worry about the parking."

We all shrugged.

"I'm down" I said as I nodded.

We all then started to run to our Arwings. We weren't able to launch them since we were in the docking bay, so we had to manually lift off.

I jumped into my Arwing and was greeted by A-I.

"Welcome back, sir." A-I said in its monotone feminine voice.

I nodded, "It's good to be back."

Fox came over the comm lines, "ROB, release the lift locks and land the Arwings on the ground with extended wings."

ROB quickly replied, "Manual take off order received. Disengaging lift locks."

Suddenly, the Arwings started to slowly descend. Once they hovering over the ground, the wings were spread.

"Kevin" Fox said over the comm, "You go on ahead, we'll follow after you."

I nodded.

The Arwing lifted into the air and shot off out of the landing bay. I was quickly flying through the sky.

Almost immediately, I received a transmission.

"Sir, incoming call from General Reyes." A-I said as I flew through the sky and over the city.

I was confused- why would he try to contact me?

"Patch it through" I said.

Suddenly, Reyes' face appeared on the HUD.

"Kevin, alert the others. Our radar is picking up multiple unknown signatures flying over the city." Reyes said in a panicked voice.

I looked around and found only I and the rest of the team flying around. Realizing the mistake, I started to laugh.

"Oh, you must have forgotten to update your radars. These are new Arwings we have, so add these signatures as the teams." I replied.

Reyes gave me a weird look, "Well, just keep an eye out. I'm sure some enemy forces linger, and when I say some I mean, maybe, ten or so hostiles."

I nodded, "Roger that" I then ended the comm line and reverted back to the team channel.

"What was that about?" Falco asked.

I shook my head, "Just the Generals freaking out about the Arwing signatures being unknown."

I looked down and found a building with an empty helipad. According to the radar, it was directly above the club.

"Land on that helipad; this building houses the club on the bottom level." I said as I swooped down to the pad.

I slowly touched down and activated the hover mode.

"A-I, keep the comms open in case someone tries to reach us. The Generals may not know about our communicators, so they may use the Arwing as a way of communicating." I said.

A-I replied quickly, "Yes sir"

I then jumped out and felt the cool night air on my skin.

"Ah" I said at the feel, "Just as I remember it."

I looked back and found the team had exited as well.

Falco looked less than pleased, "Um… how do we get down?"

I chuckled, "Simple"

I then slammed my fist into the ground, activating the suit teleport.

"We use these" I said as I held my hand up.

Slippy shook his head, "You mean you want us to climb down this building?!"

I chuckled, "Or you could jump"

Fox and Falco laughed.

"Or use the rappel" Fox added.

I nodded, "That may be easier."

I then walked over to my Arwing and opened the compartment on the underside. In it was a cable and hook. I wrapped it around my legs and attached it to my waist. I then walked over to the railing and attached the opposite end to it. A bright blue light emitted from behind me.

I looked back at the team, "Let's go"

I then got up on the railing and felt the wind blow.

Fox then got up and stood next to me.

I chuckled, "It's like a bungee jump."

Fox looked at me, "What do you mean?"

I laughed, "I mean this."

I then jumped off of the building.

"Whoooooo!" I yelled on the way down.

I reached the end of the cord and was shot back up. I used the momentum to move my body into a horizontal position. I then touched my feet against the building. I grabbed onto the cord and held my stance against the building.

I heard Fox yell from above, "You are so… fuckin… crazy."

I looked up, "Come on, try it. It's like skydiving only shorter."

I then saw a figure jump off the building. It turned out to be Falco. He flew passed me and then shot back up to my level. He got his stance as well.

He laughed, "What a rush! That feel of gravity- whoo!" His armor was blue and black with the red Star Fox logo on his left peck plate.

I nodded, "Hell yeah, gets the adrenaline pumpin."

I looked up, "Come on Fox. Come on Krys. You too Slippy!"

Suddenly, a blue figure jumped off as well and fell passed us. She came back up and greeted us, "Hello" Krystal's armor was blue as well, but it was a bit brighter and was paired with a grey color.

I smiled, "Come on Fox, don't let fear overcome you!"

Just as I finished, Fox jumped off the edge and ended up next to us.

"You were saying?" He said as he stood on the wall. Fox's armor was red and maroon.

Slippy then suddenly shot passed us.

I looked at him, "And you thought I was crazy." Slippy's armor was green and black.

We all then started to slowly move down to the ground. As we neared the ground, we heard the people start to yell and cheer.

I was the first to touch the ground. When I did, I detached the cord and unwrapped it from my legs. I then deactivated the armor and slammed the ground. As I came up, I noticed people started to crowd around me and whisper.

I looked at them, "Hi" I said.

One of them spoke up, "Are you Kevin Michelson?"

I nodded. The rest of the team then touched down on the ground.

"You guys are Star Fox?" The same man asked.

Fox nodded at him, "That's right, we are the Star Fox Mercenary Unit."

The man was stunned, "That's not possible."

The other people then started to whisper.

I chuckled, "I see where you're going with this, sir." I said, "I played the game too."

He nodded, "Yeah… that's exactly what I'm talking about. How the hell are these guys real?"

I shook my head and shrugged, "Alternate realities turned out to be real." I paused, "Look could you guys just please disperse? We're trying to rest and have a nice, annoyance free vacation on the planet we saved."

The crowd then dispersed as they clapped and started to cheer.

Once they were clear, the team and I headed for the FLUXX line. As we were heading to the back, the bouncer stopped us.

"Hold up" the man said.

We all looked back at him.

"Yes?" I asked.

"You the guys that saved Earth?" He asked.

I looked at the team and then back at the bouncer, "Uh, yeah, we are."

He nodded and waved for us to go over to him. We complied and walked over.

"I want to thank you guys. If it weren't for you, my brother would have died in the war." He said.

I looked questioned, "Who's your brother?"

The man smiled, "His name's Jeremy. But he said his callsign was Blaze."

I froze in my place. I heard Fox whisper.

"Oh no" he said.

I then lowered my head and shook it slowly.

The man looked at us puzzled, "What's wrong?"

I looked back up and walked towards the man. I placed my hand on his shoulder.

"Sir…" I said with complete grief on my face, "…Blaze… Jeremy…"

The man looked worried now, "What about him?"

I shook my head, "…Jeremy was in my squad when the aliens first attacked…"

Jones shook his head, "And?"

I paused and sighed with a shaky voice, "…no one in that squad survived the attack besides me…"

He shook his head, "Don't lie, I got a message saying he was training with the last of the troops."

I shook my head in response, "They lied to you…" I was shaky again, "We were in full retreat when I lost every one of the jets to the aliens. Me, the ace pilot, and Jeremy were all that were left out of 100. As we were escaping from the remaining enemies, they started to fire upon us. we were all hit and couldn't lose them."

Jones started to get a tear in his eye, "They took him out…"

I shook my head, "…no… he sacrificed himself…"

Jones looked up at me, "He what?"

I nodded, "Yes… as we were being tailed, he distracted them and forced us to leave the area. He was shot down minutes after we escaped." I paused, "I will say one thing; he was one of the most dedicated troops I had ever seen. And knowing that he was a nugget makes him even more honorable. This man survived the initial attack and sacrificed himself for me and the ace."

Jones started to tear up more, "But did he die with honor?"

I nodded, "His final words… 'it was an honor serving the country'."

Jones nodded, "That's good. I just don't know why they would lie to me."

I shook my head, "That's a mystery to me as well. But just know that Blaze is in a better place."

Jones then shook his head, "Anyway, go on ahead in. You guys deserve it since you did what you did."

I looked back at the rest.

Falco shrugged, "Awesome"

I looked back at Jones, "Thank you"

He nodded and opened the door for us.

We walked in to the sound of Dubstep playing. As soon as we walked in, we walked around a large center column and entered the club. It was blasting music and lights were flashing everywhere.

I was shocked, "Damn"

Fox and the others looked surprised as well.

Falco smiled, "Time to party"

As if we were in a movie, two females walked over and asked for Falco.

He looked at us, "I'll catch you guys later."

I lowered my head and shook it slowly, "Oh god"

Fox and Krystal laughed.

"Let's get on the dance floor." I said over the noise.

They nodded and we headed down the few steps. Onto the floor.

_Fox, Krystal, Slippy, and Kevin stayed in a group while on the dance floor. Surprisingly, anyone who saw them merely asked for a picture or to dance. Falco was off in one of the tables talking to the two girls that had stolen him. _

_While Kevin was dancing with a female that had asked him for a quick dance, he bumped into another person. _

"Hey" I said as I felt a hard bump on my back.

I spun around and met the face of another female. As soon as I saw her face, I knew that she was familiar. But to her, I was more familiar.

"Kevin?" She asked me.

I was confused, "Yeah? Do I know you?"

She started to tear up, "Oh my god, I can't believe you're alive!"

I was still confused, "Of course I'm alive."

She then hugged me, "It's me… Marie."

I was stunned, "What?!"

She smiled and nodded her head quickly.

I was at a loss of words, "Why the hell are you surprised that I'm alive? I can't believe that YOU'RE alive!"

I looked back at Fox and Krystal.

"Guys! It's Marie!" I yelled over the loud music.

Fox looked surprised, "What? But you said that she was considered dead!"

I nodded and smiled, "I know, but she's here!"

Krystal cut in, "She must have made it back when we left Earth."

Marie nodded, "Yeah, I was captured but I escaped once you attacked the last base."

I was still at a loss, "That's just… holy shit I still can't believe that you're alive!"

She just smiled.

I then pointed to the bar area, "Let me buy you a drink. We have some debriefing." I joked.

She laughed and nodded. We then walked over to the bar and sat down.

I signaled for the bartender, "One shot, tequila." I said.

Marie looked at me, "You don't want one?"

I shrugged, "I can't have one, I'm only 17."

The bartender then came back with two shots of tequila.

I looked at the two and then at the tender.

"Uh, I said one."

The bartender then winked at me and headed to the back.

Marie laughed, "Looks like he's on your side. Just don't say you got a drink from here to anyone."

I shrugged and grabbed one of the shots.

"I haven't tried tequila. They don't have it on Corneria." I said, "Oh well, cheers"

Marie and I then tapped our glasses together and took the shot.

I was surprised at the burning sensation, "Jesus Christ that burns!"

Marie laughed mid drink.

I raised my hands, "What? You don't think it burns?"

She nodded while she forced the drink down. She slammed the glass on the table and took a breath.

"I do think it burns. Don't make me laugh when I drink it though." She said as she laughed.

I laughed as well.

She then calmed down, "So what about this debriefing?"

I shook my head, "I was only kidding."

She nodded, "Well tell me how it ended. I'm curious."

I shrugged, "Sure, you deserve to know." I cleared my throat, "To put the long story to short, Wolf was killed by me along with the remaining of his team and the Marauders."

She nodded, "What about Woods? How is he doing?"

I lowered my head, "Oh" I sighed, "You don't know about it then."

She shook her head, "About what?"

I sighed once more, "Panther, a member of Star Wolf, shot down Woods while I was inside the base fighting Wolf."

She nodded, "I see" she paused, "He was a good man; most skilled pilot I had ever seen, I'm not surprised he made it all the way to the end."

I nodded back, "Yeah, but like I always say, he's in a better place now."

She smiled, "Let's get back to your vacation, yeah?"

I nodded, "Sure"

_From that moment on, the Star Fox team became a close family and became even greater friends. The team was destined for good things and was ready for anything that threatened peace. After the club trip, Kevin went off in search of his mother. His first plan was to meet the president on the matter. Kevin's mother, unfortunately, was killed while in hiding. However, Obama did not tell him that. Instead, a lie was made that Kevin's mother was simply still in hiding and that she was unable to be located. Kevin, in his young age, took the lie and went back to the team. _

_Over the following months, the team had several great happenings. Fox and Krystal, the two whose love was absolutely inseparable, were now mates. Fox had proposed to Krystal, and the absolute answer to him was yes. Fox and Krystal, now husband and wife, continued their life happy on the Star Fox team. As for Kevin and Rose? The two continued dating and became closer and closer to each other. But after Rose was given a chance on Star Fox, the two became even closer. Rose was now in charge of comms and basic readings while on Great Fox; she basically took Peppy's place. _

_They were all at peace along with the two systems that called them heroes. But how long would that peace last? Especially when the new threat finally decided to rear its ugly head? _

_What happens when the Yuthans strike…_

…_**To be Continued…**_

_ALLLLRIGHT! What a way to end a book! This marks the end of Crossed Paths and the beginning of the new book that has yet to be named. I plan on it being very dramatic and hopefully very detailed. _

_I want to thank all of you for reading this trilogy plus one. It means so much that you guys took the time to read it and actually enjoy it. On top of that, you're kind and honest reviews were all appreciated, even the harsher ones. I appreciate every single aspect of it. I hope you continue with me to my next book. _

_As for my next book, the first chapter should be up soon. All updates will be made on the same website, sciencefictionstories. webstarts. com. Oh, if any of you are wondering where I got the name FLUXX from... it's a real club here in San Diego. It is one of the higher end meant for the rich. The inside resembles that of a video game and its located in the Gas Lamp district of downtown. Aside from that, its extremely expensive and difficult to get in. _

_I will see you all in the beginning of Ratchet and Clank: A Truth Revealed._


End file.
